Chris Harrison has a theory about his ‘Bachelor’ firing and it goes beyond the 2021 controversy
Chris Harrison is embarking on a new chapter with his show 'The Vow.' However, his glorious run as the host of 'The Bachelor' is far from forgotten. Harrison spent two decades as the face of the dating franchise, which took the world by storm. He experienced some major highs during his time with the long-running show, but sadly, didn't get his fairytale ending. Harrison was let go from the franchise in 2021. The controversy began when he sat down for an interview with Extra and spoke to former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay. Around that time, photos of Season 21 contestant Rachael Kirkconnell attending an antebellum plantation-themed fraternity formal surfaced on social media.
In the interview, Harrison expressed sympathy for the contestant. He considered the criticism unfair because the photos were from her past. When Lindsay interjected that the photos were not a good look for Kirkconnell, Harrison replied, “Well, Rachel, is it a good look in 2018? Or is it not a good look in 2021? Because there’s a big difference.” Later, Harrison admitted that he made a mistake when he spoke on 'Good Morning America.' In February 2021, he stepped aside from his role, and four months later, he officially exited the franchise.
Five years later, Harrison is now hosting another dating show, 'The Vow,' this time on Fox Nation. While promoting the series, he looked back on that “tumultuous” period in an interview with THR. "I look back at it as a bit of a blessing. I was in a contract negotiation with them. I was talking to my wife (Lauren Zima): 'Is it time to move on? What do I do?' And I don’t know if this lightning-bolt moment hadn’t happened, if I would have stepped away. Having that divorce and that breakup was a blessing," the host said to the outlet.
Harrison also claimed that alongside the controversy, contract negotiations played a role in his departure. "I’m guessing it had some impact on it all, but how much I have no idea. It definitely played in it for me, and gave me that chance to break away from that, and come back and be so refreshed and excited and involved from the ground up and create [a new show]," he explained.
Harrison hopes that his new show gives people a reason to gather, just like 'Bachelor' once did. “When people say, ‘I packed into my sorority house with 60 of my sisters, and we would watch it (Bachelor) every Monday night.’ I think people are missing that. I think this world needs more love. We need more connection. We need to bring back viewing parties. We need to bring back genuine, authentic love stories,” he said to Parade. “Am I going to change the world? That’s a little arrogant. But can we all have a little more fun and come together? Yeah, we can do that. And if that’s the role I play in all this, God bless. I’m happy to do that because I do think we are missing that in this world right now.” 'The Vow' airs new episodes every Wednesday on Fox Nation.
