Chris Harrison, presenter of the hit reality series The Bachelor, said on Saturday that he was stepping down from the ABC hit franchise for a ‘period’, following comments in defense of a current contestant caught in a racist storm.
The contestant, Rachael Kirkconnell, seems to have liked social media messages with the Confederate flag, while reportedly also posted photos a few years ago that allegedly took her to an “old south” college- party show.
Kirkconnell has been described as a forerunner in winning the favor of Matt James, the first Black Bachelor ever.
Harrison discussed the Kirkconnell controversy Tuesday in an interview with Rachel Lindsay, the franchise’s first black star. Lindsay asked Harrison what he thinks about why neither the Bachelor Concession nor Kirkconnell addressed the controversy.
Harrison asked viewers to give Kirkconnell “a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion,” rather than a “jump” to make a decision about her based on social media reports.
Lindsay explained that attending an antebellum party ‘was not a good look’.
‘Well, Rachel, is this a good look in 2018, or is it not a good look in 2021? Because there’s a big difference, ‘Harrison said.
Lindsay replies: ‘It does not look good ever. Because she’s celebrating the old south. If I were to go to that party, what would I represent at that party? ”
While Harrison said that Lindsay “was 100% right in 2021 … that was not the case in 2018. I’m not defending Rachael, I just know I do not know, 50 million people did it in 2018. It was a kind of party that a lot of people went to … where is this lens that we stopped and was this lens available, and did we all go through it in 2018? ”
The interview sparked the setback and Harrison posted an apology on social media saying, “What I now realize I did is do harm by speaking wrong in a way that perpetuates racism, and that’s what I’re about. so deeply sorry. “
He also promised ‘to do better’.
However, the outage continued. Lindsay said she would not extend her Bachelor’s contract if it ended according to reports, and said on her podcast on Friday: ‘I’m tired. I am tired. I really had enough. ”
With the announcement of his time away from The Bachelor, Harrison apologizes again.
“I have been listening for the last few days to the pain my words have caused, and I deeply regret it,” he said. “My ignorance harmed my friends, colleagues and strangers. I have no one else to blame myself for what I said and the way I spoke.
‘By excusing historical racism, I defended it. I called the term ‘awake police’, which is unacceptable. I’m ashamed of how uninformed I was. I was so wrong. ”
Harrison also wrote that “this historic season of The Bachelor should not be damaged or overshadowed by my mistakes or diminished by my actions.”