Bachelor presenter Chris Harrison has announced that he will step down from his role in the ABC franchise due to an ongoing controversy over racism that saw him getting an intense reaction this week.
Harrison, 49, took Instagram a long statement on Saturday afternoon to take responsibility for his actions.
“I have spent the past few days listening to the pain my words have caused and I am deeply sorry. My ignorance has hurt my friends, colleagues and strangers. I have no one to blame but myself for what I said and how I spoke,” he wrote in a long statement shared on Instagram on Saturday.
His statement continues: “I set standards for myself and did not find them. I feel it with every fiber of my being. Now, just as I have taught my children to stand up and recognize their actions, I will do the same. In excusing historical racism , I defended him. I invoked the term ‘woke up the police’, which is unacceptable. I’m ashamed of how uninformed I was. I was so wrong. ”
‘BACHELOR’ HOST CHRIS HARRISON APOLOGY FOR ‘SPEAKING IN A WAY THAT PERPETES RACISM’
Chris Harrison has announced that he will no longer host the ‘Bachelor’ franchise amid a racist controversy.
(ABC / Craig Sjodin)
“For the black community, for the BIPOC community: I am sorry. My words were harmful. I am listening and I really apologize for my ignorance and any pain this has caused you,” he added. “I want to sincerely thank the people of these communities with whom I have had enlightening conversations in the past few days, and I am very grateful to everyone who helped me on my path to anti-racism.”
Harrison went on to say that the current season of “The Bachelor” “should not be hampered or overshadowed by my mistakes or diminished by my actions.”
Harrison has confirmed that he will “be away for a period of time and will not be joining the After the Final Rose special.” He said he reached that decision by consulting Warner Bros. and ABC.
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“I am committed to being educated on a deeper and more productive level than ever. I want to assure our cast and crew, my friends, colleagues and fans: this is not just a moment, but a commitment to a much greater understanding that I will actively make every day. “
Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James on a date during ‘The Bachelor’.
(ABC / Craig Sjodin)
It is unclear who will take on Harrison’s role. Representatives from ABC and Warner Bros. did not immediately respond to Fox News’ requests for comment.
The longtime emcee’s temporary departure came days after he appeared on Extra in an interview with former “Bachelorette” student Rachel Lindsay, who was the show’s first black protagonist. In the interview, he defended current competitor Rachael Kirkconnell after her photos reappeared at a “Old South” themed party at a plantation in 2018.
In a statement on Wednesday, Harrison, 49, apologized for his words.
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“I have this incredible platform to talk about love and yesterday I took a position on topics that should have been better informed. Although I don’t speak for Rachael Kirkconnell, my intentions were simply to ask for grace in offering her an opportunity to speak on her own name, “he wrote.
“What I now realize that I did was to cause harm by speaking incorrectly in a way that perpetuates racism, and for that I deeply regret. I also apologize to my friend Rachel Lindsay for not hearing her better about a subject that she has a first understanding of. hand and humbly thank the Bachelor Nation members who came to me to take responsibility, “concluded Harrison. “I promise to do better.”
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Also this week, Lindsay revealed her plans to leave the ABC franchise due to her lack of diversity.
“I can’t take it anymore,” said Lindsay, 35, in her “Higher Learning” podcast via Page Six. “I’m contractually bound in some ways. But when it’s over, so am I. I can’t do that anymore.”