What Does Chris Harrison’s Departure Mean for ‘The Bachelor’ Franchise?

There are very few constants in Bachelor Nation, but Chris Harrison has, until now, been one of them. But this past weekend, a single interview may have changed his relationship to the franchise forever, leading to Harrison’s shocking departure — for now — from the series.

In an Extra interview on February 9 with Bachelorette turned correspondent Rachel Lindsay, Harrison refused to condemn Kirkconnell, despite photos surfacing that showed the Georgia native at an “Old South” themed fraternity party.

In talking to Lindsay, who was also the franchise’s first Black lead, Harrison defended Kirkconnell, saying, “Is it not a good look in 2018? Or, is it not a good look in 2021? Because there’s a big difference.” Lindsay responded, “It’s not a good look ever,” and went on to add, “If I went to that party, what would I represent?” Despite her efforts to persuade him to reconsider his stance on the issue, Harrison continued to dismiss Lindsay (and Bachelor fans’) concerns as unwarranted, “woke” policing. He staunchly defended their choice of party theme, claiming the “girls got dressed up and went to a party and had a great time and they were 18 years old.”

As host of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette since 2002, Harrison has largely avoided involving himself in political or interpersonal controversy. This uncharacteristic and shocking commentary quickly sparked outrage of its own. Chris Harrison has since announced, via Instagram, that he will be “stepping back” from his role of host of the franchise. He will not appear in the “After the Final Rose” special, which will air after this season’s finale. He apologized in the statement and contextualized his actions, conceding that, “this historic season of The Bachelor should not be marred or overshadowed by [his] mistakes or diminished by [his] actions.” It is not yet clear how long Harrison’s leave from the franchise will last.

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Rachel Lindsay spoke out on Monday, calling Harrison’s step back the “right decision.” However, she maintains that she is “going to need that time and space and compassion that he referenced to really accept the apology, because he wasn’t apologetic at first.” She is “not saying [she] can’t get there, it’s just, initially, a little tough.” She cited the incident as an opportunity for not just the Bachelor host, but white Bachelor fans to understand the difference between explicit and implicit racism.

So where does that leave Chris Harrison? Is his absence really temporary? For the moment, yes. However, his return date (or lack thereof) largely depends upon the decision of executives at Warner Bros., as well as The Bachelor fanbase. If the show, which is in the middle of its 25th season, suffers in terms of viewership and ratings as a result of Harrison’s comments, his departure may become more permanent. The studio has already suffered repercussions from the interview, as Rachel Lindsay has decided to terminate her contract with the franchise.

While both Chris Harrison and the contestant in question, Rachael Kirkconnell, have issued public statements apologizing for their actions, the future of the franchise remains questionable. Many Bachelor fans, as well as former and current stars, find Harrison’s comments to be representative of a more widespread issue with the culture of the franchise and are calling for his permanent removal. Pieper James, who is currently a contestant on Matt James’s season of The Bachelor, sent out a tweet before last night’s (February 15) episode saying, “In light of everything going on, no I will not be watching tonight’s episode.”

If enough of Bachelor Nation agrees with Pieper’s take, Chris Harrison might be taking a greater Bachelor break than originally planned.

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