The former “Bachelorette” says Harrison’s announcement that he would be away from the show for an indefinite period of time is “absolutely” the right move.
How Chris Harrison remains the face of Single Nation in previously recorded episodes of the first Black of the franchise “Bachelor,” Matt James, is more recent single is evaluating his apology and his decision to move away from the franchise.
Tayshia Adams became only the second black maiden when she replaced Clare Crawley halfway through last season. On Thursday, she addressed Harrison’s recent defense of current “Final 4” contestant Rachael Kirkconnell, attending a formal plantation-themed antebellum ceremony.
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“Your words affected a lot of people, you know, me included,” Adams admitted about her “Click Bait with Bachelor Nation” podcast with Natasha Parker and Joe Amabile. As such, she believes that moving away from Harrison is “absolutely” the right thing at this point.
“I think that because he takes responsibility, and not just saying an apology and then just going back to work the next day as if nothing had happened, he speaks a lot on his behalf,” she said.
The reality star also broke certain aspects of Harrison’s subsequent excuses, giving credit for the extent of how much ownership he is taking on in his defense of racism, no matter his intention to do so.
He said, ‘By excusing historical racism, I defended it’, which is the absolute truth, and the fact that he denounced and admitted it and he acknowledges it, means a lot to me, “said Adams.
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She continued, examining another statement that Harrison made in his apology. “The fact that he said: ‘This is not just a moment, but a commitment to a much greater understanding that I will actively make every day’ also meant a lot to me, because it is not just a moment, just as black people live A matter is not just a trending topic on Instagram – it is something that is happening every day and that we should try to participate actively and better. “
Because of the way Harrison chose to fully confess the mistakes he made and promise to educate himself so that he could be a better anti-racist and ally in the future, it really resonated with Adams. “It hit me a little more to know that he really meant what he was saying,” she said.
And that is why she is not among those calling for Harrison’s resignation or abandoning the Bachelor Nation franchise. Instead, Adams says “we have to allow people to prove we are wrong and to prove themselves”.
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She knows a lot about second chances and what people can do with them, in part because of her own relationship with the eventual winner of the season, Zac Clark. A recovering addict who “did a lot of things wrong in a time I didn’t even know about him,” said Adams. “He needed someone to give him a second chance in order to prove himself.”
Clark certainly made the most of his second chance at life, becoming a recovery expert and helping others find and embrace their second chance.
For now, all fans know that Harrison will not appear in Matt James’ special “After the Final Rose”. The reported interim plans were for the next season of “The Bachelorette” to start filming in March, just after the end of James’ season.
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The understanding at the time was that the next season would be filmed similarly to the experiences of Adams and James, especially in a location with adherence to strict pandemic security protocols. Although no hen night was announced, it is something that usually happens in conjunction with the special “After the Final Rose”.
Producers have yet to announce who will replace Harrison on that special, nor whether any announcements will be made about a new Bachelorette leadership (even money is in Katie Thurston this season, if the current flow doesn’t change things) or what Harrison’s involvement may be at the beginning of your journey.
They can delay production and start when they and Harrison feel he is ready to be the face of the franchise again, or they can delay it so that it can be replaced more permanently, if that is the final decision. The next few weeks, as James ends his season, must be very revealing.
“The Bachelor” airs on Mondays at 8 pm ET on ABC.
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