The Bachelor has become a lightning rod for controversy over the last couple of years, but it really intensified last year amid the Black Lives Matter protests that kicked off amid the coronavirus lockdowns that led to restrictions all over the world.
This year, Rachael Kirkconnell was put on blast by Rachel Lindsay and social media users after pictures were discovered of her attending an old Antebellum plantation-based party while she was a college student.
Chris Harrison, rather than join the cascade of angry commenters, called for people to be empathetic to her situation considering her age at the time and also for the rapidly changing social norms.
As a result, Chris was slammed by Rachel Lindsay and other social media users and then had to step down from his hosting duties on The Bachelor. During his appearence on Good Morning America on Thursday, Chris explained how he wasn’t about to step away from The Bachelor permanently – he has every intention of returning sometime in the future.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLPmjrFgEv8/ “This interview is not the finish line,” Harrison explained to the hosts, before going on to say that there would need to be a lot of work done. As it was previously reported by multiple outlets, Chris stepped down from his hosting duties back in February after he did an interview with Rachel Lindsay in which he called for empathy for Rachael amid her controversy.
Speaking with the co-host of Good Morning America, Mr. Strahan, Harrison admitted to his mistake and said he would be owning up for it, however, he says what he did wasn’t a reflection of who he really is.
As for who will be replacing Harrison, Page Six says that the ex-NFL player, Emmanuel Acho, will be the host following the “After the Final Rose” special. Additionally, Harrison says he has been speaking with Dr. Eric Dyson, a so-called race educator, who has been teaching him the importance of “counseling” rather than “canceling.”
After the interview with Strahan, Page Six noted, the Good Morning America co-host reportedly said that the conversation was a “surface response.” Source