Bachelor Nation Reacts to Chris Harrison Stepping Down as Host

A new chapter. Bachelor Nation alums reacted to Chris Harrison announcing he is “stepping aside” as host following his controversial interview with Rachel Lindsay about Matt James’ contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s social media scandal.

“I have spent the last few days listening to the pain my words have caused, and I am deeply remorseful,” the longtime host, 49, said in a written statement via Instagram on Saturday, February 13. “My ignorance did damage to friends, colleagues and strangers alike. I have no one to blame but myself for what I said and the way I spoke. I set standards for myself and have not met them. I feel that with every fiber of my being. Now, just as I taught my children to stand up, and to own their actions, I will do the same.”

The ABC personality said his leave of absence will be for “a period of time,” and he will not be present for season 25’s After the Final Rose special.

“By excusing historical racism, I defended it. I invoked the term ‘woke police,’ which is unacceptable. I am ashamed over how uninformed I was. I was so wrong,” his statement continued, while noting he is “dedicated to getting educated on a more profound and productive level.”

The drama started when a TikTok user accused contestant Rachael of mistreating her during high school for “liking Black guys.” Another video started circulating claiming the Georgia native “liked” racist social media posts that contained the Confederate flag. Photos then surfaced of Rachael attending an “Old South” antebellum-themed party in 2018.

On February 9, Chris appeared on Extra, where former Bachelorette Rachel is a host, to talk about the happenings of season 25. He asked viewers to offer Rachael “a little grace” and “compassion” amid the controversy and said the people holding Matt’s contestant accountable were the “woke police.”

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The day after his interview aired, the host posted an apology on Instagram. “I will always own a mistake when I make one, so I am here to extend a sincere apology. I have this incredible platform to speak about love, and yesterday, I took a stance on topics about which I should have been better informed,” he wrote. “While I do not speak for Rachael Kirkconnell, my intentions were simply to ask for grace in offering her an opportunity to speak on her own behalf. What I now realize I have done is cause harm by wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism, and for that, I am so deeply sorry. I also apologize to my friend Rachel Lindsay for not listening to her better on a topic she has a first-hand understanding of, and humbly thank the members of Bachelor Nation who have reached out to me to hold me accountable.”

Rachael also released an apology on February 11. “At one point, I didn’t recognize how offensive and racist my actions were, but that doesn’t excuse them. My age or when it happened does not excuse anything. They are not acceptable or OK in any sense. I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist,” part of her statement read.

Bachelor Nation has responded to Chris temporarily stepping down as host. Keep scrolling to see their reactions.

Rachel Lindsay

“It was never my intention to see Chris Harrison step aside, but it was my intention for others to see and hear this interview. It’s important to further and highlight these discussions,” Rachel said about her interview with Chris during Extra on February 15.
“The only way to do that is to have these uncomfortable conversations so we can understand the underlying issues and implicit racism that exists within our society,” she continued. “When we can learn to recognize implicit and unconscious bias that history of our environments have taught us, then we can challenge one another to be better for ourselves but also for this society. Let’s not label, let’s not cancel but let’s hold people accountable for their actions. Let’s set the example in this generation so that we don’t repeat the horrific mistakes from the past and so we can unify and be the change that this country needs to make this society better for the next generation.”

Sharleen Joynt

The former contestant from Juan Pablo Galavis’ season said she was “indifferent to the news” on her blog, All the Pretty Pandas, because she was unsure if it would “make a real difference” in the franchise.
“Yes, Chris Harrison’s the face of this franchise, but he’s not the one casting, not the one not doing social media checks and not the one not hiring more people of color. This is a systemic problem with this franchise,” she wrote. “That’s what ultimately stands out to me about the whole saga: how the show has failed YET AGAIN. … The fact remains that out of 40 seasons, we’ve now had a whopping three Black leads, and with two out of three of them, there has been a known racist in the cast (or a person with known racist behaviors). There is something seriously wrong with that picture.”

Mike Johnson

“Let me speak direct — should the individual be removed from The Bachelor franchise? I think it’s time for that,” Mike told Rachel Lindsay during an interview for Extra on February 16. “Should that individual be removed completely? No, because I think that individual has such a beautiful platform, it’s such a beautiful privilege that we have to use it for good.”

The former Bachelorette contestant added, “I think that when we cancel people, it’s almost too easy. I feel that those individuals that have done something wrong need to say it with their chest, in other regards, as well.”

“Once they’ve been educated and learn in a public forum in comparison to riding the waves with millions of dollars and just never to be heard from again,” he noted. “I don’t want to cancel the individual, I want the individual to speak up, speak to their audience, and curb their mindset.”

Trista Sutter

The original Bachelorette revealed she was “most definitely disappointed” in Chris for his defense of Rachael, as well as “the way he dismissed” Rachel Lindsay, during the February 16 episode of her “Better Etc.” podcast.

“I do think he should be held accountable for his words and actions, but I don’t agree with the concept of the cancel culture,” the former Bachelor contestant explained. “As Rachel said on a follow-up segment on Extra, ‘Let’s not label. Let’s not cancel. But let’s hold people accountable for their actions.'”