Chris Harrison Reflects on Exit from ‘The Bachelor’: ‘It Was a Very Toxic Situation’

Martin Holmes December 29, 2023, 9:37 am

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Chris Harrison, who stepped away from The Bachelor in 2021 in controversial fashion, has been reflecting on his exit from the franchise and how it became “a very toxic situation.”

The long-time host departed the series following backlash for defending contestant Rachael Kirkconnell, who had received accusations of racism for attending an antebellum-themed party in college. He had been hosting the show and its spinoffs since 2002.

Appearing on Bachelorette alum Jason Tartick‘s podcast Trading Secrets, Harrison said that he still considers his time on the ABC reality dating series “a blessing,” even if things ended on a sour note.

“I still look at this as a blessing in my life,” he said, per Deadline. “It was hard at first. Obviously, it wasn’t immediate that I felt great about everything because what I went through was tumultuous. I don’t wish it on anybody.”

He continued, “It was horrifying on a lot of levels and something that I pray to God my worst enemy never goes through. But, with that said, I knew I had to remove myself from what became a very toxic situation.”

At the time, Harrison apologized for his comments and announced he was stepping down from The Bachelor franchise for a while to learn and grow. He eventually departed the show for good, with former Bachelor contestant and NFL star Jesse Palmer ultimately replacing him as host.

Looking back, Harrison said he could probably have weathered the storm and “figured it out,” meaning he could have remained on as the franchise’s host.

“We all could have figured it out, but I had to remove myself from that toxic situation,” he explained. “And so I’m proud of that decision. I’m proud that I handled it the way I did, and I still look at [the show] as a blessing because it changed my life on so many levels.”

According to multiple reports, the host received a significant payday for stepping down from The Bachelor, with Deadline reporting at the time that he was given “a mid-range eight-figure payoff and promise to keep his mouth shut.”

Harrison told Tartick he’s grateful for the show, noting, “Financially, of course. It changed my life. It changed my kids’ lives. But at the same time, I can also be grateful that I’m gone. That’s a relationship I don’t need to be in anymore because it wasn’t healthy.”

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As for whether he’d consider returning to the series, Harrison immediately shot down such a suggestion, telling Tartick he isn’t open to hosting The Bachelor anymore. He had previously said, “Never say never,” when asked a similar question.

Harrison also shared that the series has been “going downhill” recently and has been taken over by other popular dating shows.

“Once I left, people started taking their shots at the champ and they’ve succeeded and now there’s competition and now there’s shows [that] are in the zeitgeist, they’re being talked about, they’re getting press that we used to get,” he stated. “Again, it’s hard to survive when when you don’t have those eyeballs anymore because people will talk about another show.”

Harrison now hosts his own podcast series, The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever with Chris Harrison, which features candid conversations and special guests.