The Bachelor presenter Chris Harrison (right) with current series leader Matt James.
ABC
Everything doesn’t come from roses for Chris Harrison. The longtime host of ABC’s Bachelor franchise on Saturday said he would be moving away from hosting The Bachelor “for some time,” as reactions grow over his comments about photos of a current contestant at a pre-war plantation themed party.
“I’ve been listening to the pain my words have caused for the past few days, and I’m deeply sorry,” Harrison said in his second public apology this week. “My ignorance has hurt my friends, co-workers and strangers … Now, I just taught my kids to get up and master their actions, I will do the same.”
The controversial photos evoke a painful period in American history before the Civil War ended slavery and sparked serious, profound discussions among bachelor’s fans and former participants about race, representation and accountability. A Change.org petition calling for Harrison’s removal from hosting The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and spin-off shows has received more than 38,000 signatures as of Saturday afternoon. And Rachel Lindsay, the first Black Bachelorette star, says she’s done with the franchise.
Here’s the whole brouhaha, split up.
What did Chris Harrison say (or not)?
During an Extra interview this week with former Bachelorette star and current TV host Rachel Lindsay, Lindsay cited photos that had surfaced of Rachael Kirkconnell, a contestant on season 25 of The Bachelor, which is now airing. The images show her attending a pre-war plantation-themed college fraternity party in 2018.
The photos provoked a strong reaction on social media as they evoke the South’s racist history before the Civil War. Matt James, star of the current season, is the show’s first black lead, and it is rumored that Kirkconnell, a 24-year-old graphic designer from Cumming, Georgia, is the one he chooses to marry / date / appear on the cover of Mensmagazine with after winnowing his love interests. Kirkconnell has also been accused of liking racist posts on social media, including some with Confederate flags.
Rachael Kirkconnell, shown on a date with Matt James in The Bachelor, is said to be his front runner.
ABC
“We all need a little bit of grace, a little bit of understanding, a little bit of compassion,” Harrison, 49, said during the interview with Lindsay. “Because I’ve seen some stuff online – this judge, jury, executioner thing where people just tear this girl’s life apart and, like her parents, dive into her parents’ voting record. It’s incredibly scary to see this. “I haven’t heard Rachael talk about this yet. Until I really hear this woman speak, who am I to say this? I saw a picture of her at a college party five years ago and that’s it.”
Harrison, host of The Bachelor since 2002, said that while he does not defend the party, people would not have explored an Old South party ‘under the same lens’ in 2018 as they would in 2021, given the heightened awareness of racial inequality. amidst the Black Lives Matter movementLindsay, an outspoken advocate for diversity in the franchise, disagreed.
“It never looks good,” said Lindsay, highlighting the implicit link of the photos with slavery and degradation. She celebrates the old South. If I went to that party, what would I represent? ‘ Lindsay – who hosts a Bachelor Nation podcast and sometimes makes cameos on the show – has since said that she won’t be renewing her contract with the franchise when it expires. “I’m exhausted. I’m really fed up with it,” Lindsay said on Friday’s episode of her Spotify Original Podcast Higher Learning.
How did the public react to Rachel Lindsay’s interview?
Harrison has loyal supporters who stand behind him and disapprove of the “aroused police” and “culture cancel”: “People, light up a bit,” wrote one Twitter supporter. Wrote another, “I’m sorry you had to apologize. I can’t believe everyone has become so sensitive.” Read an Instagram response to his time off announcement: “I can’t wait for you to get back and get on with something millions of us love to see you do!” Still, criticism has continued to mount, including on Twitter and the bachelor subreddit, where discussion of the controversy has eclipsed all other bachelor buzz for days.
Chris Harrison said we shouldn’t judge her for going to a plantation-themed party because “we weren’t as awake then as we are now.” Pic is from 2018.
I graduated in 2009. When I find out that one of my friends went to such a party, I immediately knock them out of my mind.
– Diggy Moreland (@diggymoreland) February 11, 2021
A number of high-profile contestants, including Mike Johnson, Taylor Nolan and former Bachelorette stars Tayshia Adams, Kaitlyn Bristowe and Jillian Harris, have expressed disappointment with Harrison and his choice of words, and have called on series producers to scrutinize contestants more carefully. Matt James, the star of this season’s show, expressed his gratitude to Lindsay on Friday for continuing to emphasize representation and responsibility in the franchise, which fans have criticized for its lack of diversity.
“I’m so grateful to have Rachel as a mentor this season,” James wrote on Instagram. “Your advocacy of BIPOC people in the franchise is invaluable, I stand with you and the rest of the women advocating for change and accountability.”
The day before, nearly every attendee of The Bachelor Season 25, including Kirkconnell, posted the same post on social media denouncing any “defense of racism.”
“Any defense of racist behavior denies the lived and ongoing experiences of BIPOC individuals,” the statement read. “These experiences should not be exploited or tokenized.”
Rachel Lindsay continues to advocate with ‘grace’ for individuals who identify as BIPOC within this franchise, ”the statement concluded. Just because she speaks the loudest doesn’t mean she’s alone. We stand next to her, we hear her and we plead for change next to her. ‘
The men from season 16 of The Bachelorette – which preceded Matt James’ season of The Bachelor and featured two back-to-back leads, including Adams, who is Black – also released a statement “calling out racist behavior and any defense of it. denounced. ”
“We had the opportunity to be part of one of the most diverse casts in the history of the franchise,” the statement read. “The addition of more people who identify as BIPOC has opened up the conversation about race, community and who we are as humans. A conversation that should have lasted a long time.”
What about Chris Harrison’s initial apology?
On Wednesday, ahead of Saturday’s announcement that he would be taking time off from hosting duties, Harrison released the following statement:
“To my Bachelor Nation family – I will always make a mistake when I make one so I’m here to apologize,” it read. “I have an incredible platform to speak about love, and yesterday I took a stand on topics that I should have been better informed about.”
“While I’m not speaking on behalf of Rachael Kirkconnell, my intention was simply to ask for mercy by giving her the opportunity to speak on her behalf,” he continued. “What I now realize that I have done is to harm by speaking incorrectly in a way that perpetuates racism, and I am so deeply sorry for that. I also apologize to my friend Rachel Lindsay for not listening to her better on a subject that they understand firsthand and humbly thank the members of Bachelor Nation who contacted me to hold me accountable. I promise to do better. ”
Bachelor Nation, for those who don’t follow the reality TV franchise, refers to fans and former contestants of the long-running romance show. You don’t need a visa to visit Bachelor Nation, just a TV or computer. Bachelor Nation is known for being devoted fans with a vocal social media presence where weekly episodes set off a fun series of memes and jokes that can garner thousands of likes and comments. Reactions to the show’s drama and fast-paced relationships are often funny and snarling, and that tone has seeped into Harrison’s public treatment this week. Most discussions, however, have a somber tone.
Harrison’s second second apology was even stronger.
“To the black community, to the BIPOC community: I’m so sorry,” it says. “My words were harmful. I’m listening, and I sincerely apologize for my ignorance and the pain it has caused you. I would like to sincerely thank the people from these communities with whom I have had insightful conversations over the past few days.” and I am so grateful to those who have reached out to help me on my path to anti-racism. “
ABC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.
Kirkconnell, for her part, offered her own apologies, saying, “I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist. The communities and individuals are sorry that my actions have harmed and offended. I am ashamed of my lack of education, but is no one’s responsibility to teach me. “
“I deserve to be held accountable for my actions,” she concluded. “I will never grow unless I recognize that what I have done is wrong. I don’t think one apology means I deserve your forgiveness, but rather I hope I can earn your forgiveness through my future actions.”