Chris Harrison‘s time on The Bachelorette has come to an end — at least for now, it would seem.
Late Friday night, producers of the Bachelor reality franchise took to Twitter to announce that the show’s longtime host — who has been there for all versions of the show since the very beginning — would not be going on air next season to help the next Bachelorette find love. All this, as the show’s ongoing ugly racism controversy continues to play itself out both on air, and on social media.
Related: Rachel Lindsay Accepts Chris Harrison’s Apology, Says That It’s Time To Move Forward
His replacement, at least for the coming season, will be a combination of former Bachelorette stars and fan favorites Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe. Wow!
In a statement released on the social media network on Friday night, the producers stated in part (below):
“Chris Harrison will not be hosting the next season of The Bachelorette. We support Chris in the work that he is committed to doing. In his absence, former Bachelorettes Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe will support the new Bachelorette through next season. As we continue the dialogue around achieving greater equity and inclusion within The Bachelor franchise, we are dedicated to improving the BIPOC representation of our crew, including among the executive producer ranks. These are important steps in effecting fundamental change so that our franchise is a celebration of love that is reflective of our world.”
Well then!
Here’s the full statement, via Twitter, below:
— The Bachelorette (@BacheloretteABC) March 13, 2021
That’s huge news!
Obviously, it doesn’t mention anything about Harrison’s long-term future. That is, it’s still not clear whether he is out for good as host of the franchise from here moving forward, or whether he might return again one day for the next season of The Bachelor, or something. Guess we can all only speculate on that until we know for sure.
Related: Emmanuel Acho Gives His Opinion On Whether Chris Harrison Should Ever Return To Host
Regardless, this is a major move for the show — and a hell of a Friday night news dump, for what it’s worth. Honestly, it’s nice to see that the Bachelor franchise is at least committed to some kind of change more so than just talking the talk. It remains to be seen how they will diversify their ranks and, as they say, produce a show that is “reflective of our world.” But this feels like a big step forward, doesn’t it?
Where do U stand on the ongoing Bachelor racism controversy, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF with your take about Chris and everything else down in the comments (below)…
[Image via Brian To/WENN]
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