Chris Harrison, the host of the hit reality show The Bachelor, said on Saturday that he was “moving away” from the hit ABC franchise for a “period of time” after commenting in defense of a current competitor caught in a storm of racism .
The competitor, Rachael Kirkconnell, seems to have liked posts on social media with the Confederation flag, while photos also appeared allegedly showing her at a university party with an “old south” theme several years ago, according to reports.
Kirkconnell was described as one of the pioneers in winning the affection of the series star Matt James, the first black bachelor.
Harrison discussed the controversy over Kirkconnell on Tuesday in an interview with Rachel Lindsay, the franchise’s first black star. Lindsay asked Harrison what he thought about why neither the Bachelor franchise nor Kirkconnell had addressed the controversy.
Harrison asked viewers to give Kirkconnell “a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion”, instead of “taking a leap” when making a decision about it based on reported social media posts.
Lindsay explained that attending a party before the civil war “was not looking good”.
“Well, Rachel, are you looking good in 2018 or not looking good in 2021? Because there is a big difference, ”said Harrison.
Lindsay replied, “It’s not a good look ever. Because she is celebrating the old south. If I went to that party, what would I represent in it? “
Although Harrison said that Lindsay was “100% right in 2021 … it wasn’t the case in 2018. I’m not defending Rachael, I just know that, I don’t know, 50 million people did it in 2018. It was a type of party that many people went … where is this lens that we are holding and it was available, and we were all looking for it in 2018? ”
The interview generated negative reactions and Harrison posted an apology on social media, saying, “What I now realize I did was to cause harm by speaking incorrectly in a way that perpetuates racism, and for that I deeply regret.”
He also promised to “do better”.
The precipitation continued, however. Lindsay said he would not renew his bachelor’s contract when he finished, according to reports, and on Friday, in his podcast, he said: “I am very tired. I’m exhausted. I really had enough. “
Announcing his time away from The Bachelor, Harrison apologized again.
“I have spent the past few days listening to the pain my words have caused and I am deeply sorry,” he said. “My ignorance has hurt my friends, colleagues and strangers. I have no one to blame but myself for what I said and the way I said it.
“Excusing historical racism, I defended it. I invoked the term ‘police awake’, 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 hampered or overshadowed by my mistakes or diminished by my actions”.