“Bachelor” franchise host Chris Harrison reportedly will not host the upcoming season of “Bachelor in Paradise.”
Harrison will be replaced by a rotating list of guest hosts, including actor David Spade, according to a report published Wednesday by Page Six. It is still unclear who the rest of the hosts will be.
Chris Harrison won’t return to ‘Bachelor in Paradise,’ David Spade set to fill in https://t.co/URaQwYxM1x pic.twitter.com/0b61lPRBt7
— Page Six (@PageSix) June 2, 2021
It is also unknown if Harrison will ever make a comeback as the host of any of “The Bachelor” franchise shows.
Harrison first came under fire after defending contestant Rachael Kirkconnell after she was accused of racist behavior in the past. He addressed the backlash against Kirkconnell during an interview with Rachel Lindsay, the franchise’s first black “Bachelorette.”
Harrison had requested that people give Kirkconnell “a little grace, a little understanding” when it comes to allegedly racist behavior from her past. Kirkconnell was accused at the time of attending a plantation-themed party and engaging with racially insensitive social media content, according to People magazine.
ABC announced in March that Harrison would not be hosting “The Bachelorette” following the comments.
“Chris Harrison will not be hosting the next season of ‘The Bachelorette,'” the statement said. “We support Chris in the work that he is committed to doing. In his absence, former Bachelorettes Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe will support the new Bachelorette through next season.”
“As we continue the dialogue around achieving greater equity and inclusion with ‘The Bachelor’ franchise, we are dedicated to improving BIPOC representation of our crew, including among the executive producer ranks,” the statement continued.