The bachelor has a problem with Chris Harrison. Well, the franchise actually has a lot of problems, but Harrison, who is essentially the face of the Single Nation, is about to implode.
As calls for Harrison’s resignation get louder, Matt James, the show’s first Black Bachelor in 25 seasons, broke the silence surrounding the controversy ahead of Monday’s new episode. James specifically called Harrison’s words “disturbing and painful” to excuse historical racism. Harrison apologized and announced on February 13 that he was temporarily “walking away” after defending the racist actions of the vanguard Rachael Kirkconnell earlier.
“Chris’s failure to receive and understand the emotional work that my friend Rachel Lindsay was taking on in explaining gracefully and patiently the racist story of Antebellum South, a painful story that every American should understand intimately, was worrying and painful to watch,” James said of Harrison’s interview in Extra. “As blacks and allies immediately knew and understood, it was a clear reflection of a much larger issue than The bachelor franchise has fallen short of addressing properly for years. “
According to the previous Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise competitor Taylor Nolan, Harrison’s words are not so surprising to many in Bachelor Nation.
“I was surprised that he couldn’t help himself. I was surprised that, as well trained as he is, he didn’t know he should probably shut up because he is about to show off,” the psychotherapist told Yahoo Entertainment. “He just revealed his truth, which many of us already know, but he never did it so openly. At the same time, I am no surprised that he couldn’t contain himself because he really believes what he was saying, he really didn’t think he was saying anything wrong. He thought it was a great conversation! “
During Harrison’s conversation with Lindsay, he asked people to show Kirkconnell a little “grace” after photos of her attending an Antebellum themed party in 2018 emerged. He also said that it is not fair for people to investigate the records voting rights of her and her parents. Nolan believes Harrison was “in a way, trying to defend himself” in that interview. (Lindsay, who was cast as the first black star in 2017, said something similar.)
“Who do you vote for [does say something about you]”she explains.” I think he was designing on Rachael K. These are things that people in the franchise … are well aware of. That Chris is more conservative, that he is a Republican, that he is an older and very wealthy white man in a high position of power who has rarely, if ever, shared his power with marginalized groups of people. “
Harrison did not speak publicly about his own political views. Yahoo sought out its adviser for comment, but did not receive an immediate response.
According Let’s talk about this with Taylor Nolan The podcast’s host, some former non-white contestants, were “a little uncomfortable with” Harrison due to his political views.
“And not only because of their own personal positions, or the lack of it publicly, but also because it represents what the franchise represents, and the franchise did not represent the BIPOC community, it did not represent the non-heteronormative community and [represents] European standards of fine beauty that our dominant culture maintains, “she says.” Because Chris represents what the franchise represents, I think it is part of what makes it no secret for many people. “
A spokesman for the Bachelor Diversity Campaign also told Yahoo that the group was not surprised after Harrison’s comments made headlines.
“We are all fans of the show and the reason we are together is because we know The bachelor has a race problem. Chris Harrison, as an executive producer and the face of the franchise, plays a role in this. Sometimes it was coded, or what is missing, not what is seen, but it has always been there. Now it’s just amplified, “says the group.” We are also not surprised by the consequences. This is taking too long. … as Rachel [Lindsay] he said, the only thing that was surprising was Chris’s decision to speak so passionately and publicly about his rejection of racism. “
Ivan Hall, a fan favorite of Tayshia Adams’ season of The maiden, said AND! News he won’t do Bachelor in Paradise with Harrison as the host. Old one single and Bachelor in Paradise Mike Johnson believes Harrison should be “removed” from the franchise, but not canceled. Nolan believes The bachelor franchise “absolutely can continue” without Harrison as the host.
“The amount of airtime he receives is not like he is narrating the entire show. I mean, before entering the show, I would advance all the conversations that people have with Chris because he wasn’t really asking real questions! “Nolan adds, but says that the decision ends up with ABC and Warner Bros.
“I just think that ABC and Warner Bros. have to be willing to take that risk, to really change their franchise, to change the face of their franchise, to change what their franchise represents. And it can be a difficult position to fill in because the very dedicated Bachelor Nation keeps [Harrison]. They feel very strongly about it. So it is certainly a difficult decision to make, but frankly, it is an easy decision at this point “, explains Nolan.
Yahoo contacted Warner Bros. to comment on Harrison’s future, but did not receive an immediate response.
Two Change.org petitions have been created, one to keep Harrison and the other to fire Harrison, with the latter having more than twice as many signatures. But the Bachelor Diversity Campaign hopes that the important message will not get lost in the “cancellation culture”.
“We hope that you are beginning to understand the difference between responsibility and ‘canceling culture’, and that your apologies reflect your genuine contrition and openness to growth,” said a spokesman for the group, addressing Harrison directly. “If so, we encourage you to address the considerable number of your fans who continue to defend your defense of racism (look no further than your post comments!), And attack those like Rachel Lindsay, Taylor Nolan, Victoria Price and Mikayla Bartholomew’s The Blckchelorettes podcast, and others, who conducted these important conversations with grace.
“We hope this is an alert for you. We encourage you, and The bachelor franchise you represent, to look at the scale of reaction and recognize that this would not have happened had the problem not been systemic – both in your own worldview and in the treatment of the race franchise, “says the group.” We sincerely hope that you do better, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of BIPOC’s cast, crew, employees and viewers, nor should it be while you’re the host or executive producer The bachelor franchise.”
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