Courtesy of Emmanuel Acho/Instagram
NFL Alum Emmanuel Acho Is Hosting Bachelor’s ‘After the Final Rose’ Special! Meet Chris Harrison’s Replacement
Former NFL star Emmanuel Acho replaced ABC host Chris Harrison on The Bachelor‘s season 25 After the Final Rose special, which airs on Monday, March 15.
“IT’S OFFICIAL: I’ve accepted the Rose and am honored to be hosting the @bachelorabc After the Final Rose this year,” the 30-year-old captioned a photo of himself holding a single red rose while announcing the gig on February 27. “It’s been a pivotal season, and this episode will hopefully be one of the most storied shows in TV history. Empathy is needed and change is coming. Share the news! I’ll see y’all then!”
But who is the new AFTR host? Here’s what we know.
Emmanuel Played Professional Football
The temporary Bachelor Nation emcee got his start playing football for the University of Texas before getting drafted in 2012 by the Cleveland Browns. He went on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles before signing to the New York Giants practice squad in 2013. After that, he returned to the Eagles before being released as a free agent in 2015.
Emmanuel Is Now a Sports Analyst
The Dallas native began working as a temporary analyst for the Longhorn Network in 2016. He transitioned into a full-time position the same year. In 2018, he moved on to ESPN2’s college football programming. In June 2020, Emmanuel joined Fox Sports, where he replaced Jason Whitlock as a cohost on Speak for Yourself.
Emmanuel Has Done Medical Missionary Work
In June 2019, the former ESPN 2 host opened up about a successful medical missionary trip in which he helped save local lives.
He wrote on Instagram, “I spent the last 10 days in rural villages of #Nigeria, with a group of 41 American Heroes. We provided roughly 2.2 MILLION dollars worth of free medical care. Our Living Hope Ministries team consisting of doctors, nurses [and] lovers of people were amazing. But the trip can be summed up by the name of the beautiful village girl in this picture, ‘Miracle’. No Black Panther costumes, just scrubs, scalpels and real lives being saved in Africa.”
Emmanuel Wrote a Popular Book About Race
While announcing his temporary stint as Bachelor host, the Fox Sports anchor plugged his book, Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man. “I’m the author of 2020 NYT best seller, ‘Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man,'” he wrote via Instagram on Saturday. “A book that answers all the racial questions you’ve been too afraid to ask. Go read it.”
Based on his knowledge and openness, it seems like he will be a great host for such a monumental moment in the franchise. “I love being a bridge for reconciliation,” Emmanuel wrote on the social media platform the same day “Our world is disconnected [and] divided, my goal is to unify.”
Where He Stands on Chris Harrison’s Drama
Emmanuel gave a very honest answer when asked if he thought Chris should return to the franchise following his controversial statements about contestant Rachael Kirkconnell‘s past racist social media behavior.
“Is it in the best interest of Chris Harrison, is it in the best interest of the show, for them to continue to mutually move forward?” the former football player said during an appearance on Good Morning America on March 10. “This is the most uncomfortable conversation in the history of The Bachelor franchise, because it’s not just about relationships, but now it’s about race. We’re intertwining race with relationships on one of the greatest unscripted shows in the history of television.”
