‘The Bachelor’ Creator Mike Fleiss Exits Franchise After More Than 20 Years
The Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss is stepping away from the franchise after more than two decades with the ABC reality hit.
The executive producer and writer is leaving the creative team following a storied run at ABC which includes the creations of Bachelor spinoffs such as The Bachelorette and Bachelor Pad as well as adjacent reality fare like The Proposal. At this time, no reason for his departure has been shared.
Season 27 concluded on Monday, March 27 with the engagement of Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar. In Fleiss’ stead, Clare Freeland, Jason Ehrlich, the franchise’s longtime executive producer Bennett Graebner will be taking over as executive producers and showrunners of Bachelor series.
In a statement shared by Fleiss, he said, “First and foremost, congratulations are in order for Zach and Kaity. I wish them a long and happy life together. I want to thank WBTV and ABC for 21 extraordinary years. They’ve found the perfect creative team for me to entrust The Bachelor franchise and keep this lightning in a bottle bold and moving forward. Let the journey continue.”
It doesn’t appear that the franchise’s presence will be disrupted by Fleiss’ sudden departure, as the reliable reality constant continues with a new season of The Bachelorette going into production with new lead (and recent Bachelor runner-up) Charity Lawson.
Stay tuned for updates about the show’s future as they’re made available, and catch up with The Bachelor franchise now on Hulu.