Chris Harrison, long-time host of The Bachelor, is “stepping aside” from the television franchise after apologizing for defending contestant Rachael Kirkconnell, who was accused of racism.
via: The Blast
‘The Bachelor’ host Chris Harrison is ‘stepping aside’ from his hosting duties after apologizing for supporting the racist actions of one of the show’s contestants.
The ‘Bachelorette’ star took to Instagram to announce his quitting of the show ‘for a period of time’ while he reflects and learns from his poor decision of defending the woman’s actions.
As you know, Harrison was hammered by many of the popular show’s fans and former stars after defending this season’s contestant Rachael Kirkconnell, after she was confronted over several racist issues in her past, including attending and being photographed at a 2018 plantation-themed fraternity party.
At the time, Harrison defended Kirkconnell, saying, “This judge-jury-executioner thing is tearing this girl’s life apart.”
“Is it a good look in 2018, or is it not a good look in 2021?… 50 million people did that in 2018. That was a type of party that people went to. We are not looking under the same lens,” Harrison continued in her defense.
The ‘Bachelorette’ host apologized on Twitter, saying, “To my Bachelor Nation family — I will always own a mistake when I make one, so I am here to extend a sincere apology. I have this incredible platform to speak about love, and yesterday I took a stance on topics about which I should have been better informed.”
But, on Saturday, the host issued another lengthy statement, acknowledging his mistake for defending these actions, and informed fans he would be quitting the show.
“I have spent the last few days listening to the pain my words have caused, and I am deeply remorseful. My ignorance did damage to my friends, colleagues, and strangers alike. I have no one to blame but myself for what I said and the way I spoke. I set standards for myself, and have not met them. I feel that with every fiber of my being. Now, just as I taught my children to stand up, and to own their actions, I will do the same. By excusing historical racism, I defended it. I invoked the term ‘woke police’ which is unacceptable. I am ashamed over how uniformed was. I was wrong,” he wrote.
“To the Black community, to the BIPOC community: I am so sorry. My words were harmful. I am listening, and truly apologize for my ignorance and any pain it caused you. I want to give my heartfelt thanks to the people from these communities with who I’ve had enlightening conversations with over the past few days, and I am grateful to those who have reached out to help me on my path to anti-racism.”
Kirkconnell was blasted for her apology, after posting, “At one point, I didn’t recognize how offensive and racist my actions were, but that doesn’t excuse them,” she wrote. “My age or when it happened doesn’t excuse anything. They are not acceptable or okay in any sense. I was ignorant but my ignorance was racist.”
“This historic season of The Bachelor should not be marred or overshadowed by my mistakes or diminished by my actions. To that end, I have consulted with Warner Bros. and ABC and will be stepping aside for a period of time and will not join for the After the Final Rose special. I am dedicated to getting educated on a more profound and productive level than ever before. I want to ensure our cast and crew members, to my friends, colleagues, and our fans: this is not just a moment, but a commitment to a much greater understanding that I will actively make every day,” he concluded.
They have to bring in a person of color now to handle the remaining hosting duties. Maybe former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay who has been vocal about the racial controversy this season.
