The longtime host of The Baccalaureate the franchise is “set aside” temporarily after a train crash in an interview in which it defended the racist actions of a contestant, which included attending a themed planting party in 2018.
In a statement posted on his Instagram page, Chris Harrison said he will not be present in the traditional chapter of “After the Final Rose” live at the end of the current season. How long the parenthesis will not last and who will replace Harrison as host of “After the Final Rose” is unclear.
“The historic season of The Bachelor should not be affected or overshadowed by my mistakes or diminished by my actions,” Harrison wrote, referring to Matt James, who is the first black protagonist in the history of The Baccalaureate. “I dedicate myself to educating myself on a deeper and more productive level than ever before.”
In recent days, it has been discovered that current contestant Rachael Kirkconnell wore insensitive Halloween costumes and liked offensive posts on social media, including one in which two people stand in front of a Confederate flag.
Harrison was asked about Kirkconnell’s past during an interview with Extra earlier this week with Rachel Lindsay, the first protagonist of Blacks in The bachelor and now a media personality. He refused to condemn his actions and the event sparked the attack on his behalf, saying, “Police woke up and poor girl Rachael has just been thrown into the lions.”
“I’m sorry all the time …” I think she should do it, I think she should do it. “Who the hell are you? Who are you to demand it?” He added.
Fans were outraged after watching the 14-minute exchange and the entire cast of the current season issued a statement in solidarity with Lindsay after the interview. The franchise has long been the subject of allegations of racism.
Kirkconnell, who is considered one of the first of the season, later apologized. “At one point, I didn’t recognize how offensive and racist my actions were, but that doesn’t excuse them,” he said in a statement Thursday. “My age or when it happened does not excuse anything. They are not acceptable or good in any way. I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist. “