Matt James’ Bachelor journey continues on screen as the franchise is engulfed in controversy off screen. The real estate broker’s budding romance with Rachael Kirkconnell has made headlines amid her resurfaced racist actions, which she apologized for in a statement on Thursday.
However, Rachael — who is still in the running for Matt’s heart on The Bachelor — isn’t the only one who issued an apology. On Wednesday, host Chris Harrison apologized for “wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism” during an interview with Rachel Lindsay about the scandal.
Bachelor Nation continued to speak out against Chris’ remarks, and on Saturday, the host again apologized, announcing that he’ll be “stepping aside” for awhile, and will not be joining Matt’s After the Final Rose special.
That special is still weeks away. First, Matt must decide which women to move forward with — and it wasn’t surprise arrival Heather Martin.
Multiple fan favorites said goodbye to Matt on Monday night’s episode — and one made a self-exit. ET was live blogging along the way. Scroll down for minute-by-minute updates.