Despite a contentious battle and hefty payout to Chris Harrison at the end of his tenure in the Bachelor franchise, he has been quiet for a while.
Many assumed that this is the result of an agreement to not make waves in the aftermath of this year’s controversies.
But according to a new report, Chris is actually spending a lot of time just … enjoying his life.
That doesn’t mean that he’s not interested in a television comeback, however.
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An inside source spoke to Us Weekly about Chris Harrison’s current state of mind and his plans for the future.
“Chris Harrison is truly doing great,” the insider assured.
“He’s really enjoying this time with his kids,” the source added, “and growing his relationship with Lauren [Zima].”
“He lives a low-key life in Texas,” the insider continued.
The source detailed that this of course is “when he’s not taking trips or going on vacation.”
50-year-old Chris has two teenage children, 19-year-old Joshua and 17-year-old Taylor, both from his prior relationship with Gwen.
“He’s soaking in these moments of not working,” the insider shared.
“And,” the source added, Chris is “taking time for himself and his family.”
“He celebrated his 50th birthday last month,” the insider pointed out, “and recently celebrated his anniversary with Lauren.”
Chris began dating 33-year-old Lauren Zima in 2018.
“He sees this time as almost a new chapter of his life,” the source characterized.
“And,” the insider revealed, Chris “is figuring out what’s going to be his next best move.”
Chris has been the longtime host of the entire franchise, but stepped down in February.
Amidst Rachael Kirkconnell’s worrisome history related to racist social media posts, Chris went overboard in defending her.
Not only did he speak over others, he used red flag phrases like “woke mob” that showed fans that he wasn’t quite the man whom they had assumed him to be.
It wasn’t for another four months that Chris’ step down from the role became permanent.
He reached a massive, 8-figure settlement with ABC in exchange for going away quietly, though details on that arrangement are scarce.
Since then, ABC has used a rotating array of familiar faces as temporary hosts, presumably while contemplating a more permanent replacement.
While Chris stepping down and away from the show was appropriate at the time, even his critics know that he is not an evil man by any means.
As host, he should not be creating his own controversies while addressing existing ones.
At the same time, reports have made it clear that he did realize his mistake. 50 is not too old to learn to be better, after all.
Chris is reportedly not clinging to bitterness after his very public removal from the series.
“He still keeps in touch with some crew and former Bachelor and Bachelorette cast members,” the insider reported.
“Everyone who was close to him on the show really misses him,” the source added, “and wishes he [were] still part of the show.”
“He reads messages from fans and posts on social media,” the insider noted.
“Although he’s not the host anymore,” the source continued, “he still loves Bachelor Nation.”
“And,” the insider shared, Chris “isn’t one to hold any grudges, especially [with] the fans, after what went down.”
“He really misses them,” the source expressed.
“He isn’t watching Paradise,” the insider detailed. Similarly, Chris hinted that he did not watch The Bachelorette, either.
“But,” the source explained, “he comes across headlines and gets tagged and tweeted at on social media.”
“He’s for sure going to make a comeback in the near future,” the insider teased.
“And,” the source added, “will announce his return to TV once everything is set in stone.”
The insider explained: “He’s not ready to retire just yet.”