Chris Harrison won’t be hosting the upcoming season of The Bachelorette. Harrison — who has hosted The Bachelor franchise since 2002 — announced in February that he would be “stepping aside for a period of time” after defending Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s past racially insensitive behavior in an interview with Rachel Lindsay, the first Black Bachelorette.
And late Friday, Warner Horizon and ABC Entertainment announced that Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe, former contestants on The Bachelorette, will assume hosting duties next season.
“Chris Harrison will not be hosting the next season of ‘The Bachelorette.’ We support Chris in the work that he is committed to doing,” the companies said in a statement.
The move is among the “steps in effecting fundamental change so that our franchise is a celebration of love that is reflective of our world,” Warner Horizon and ABC Entertainment added.
Lindsay spoke out last month about the controversial interview on Higher Learning, a podcast she co-hosts with Van Lathan. She said that while Harrison had apologized, she was struggling to accept his words, especially in light of some of the ongoing racial issues the show has struggled with.
“I’m contractually bound in some ways, but when it’s up. I am so … I can’t, I can’t do it anymore,” Lindsay said.
In his February statement, Harrison said, “This historic season of The Bachelor should not be marred or overshadowed by my mistakes or diminished by my actions.”
Kirkconnell has also apologized on Instagram, acknowledging that some of her actions were racist. “I’m here to say I was wrong. …I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist.”
The next season of The Bachelorette is expected to air later this year.
