Chris Harrison, will you accept this final rose?
Less than 24 hours after the premiere of the 17th season of The Bachelorette, the long-time host Chris Harrison has allegedly removed himself from the ABC franchise for good. Deadline broke the career-shifting news early Tuesday morning (June 8) in an exclusive interview.
“Harrison will receive a rose of his own in the form of mid-range eight-figure payoff and promise to keep his mouth shut,” the report reads.
Harrison and his team have been busy negotiating for the past few days with WBTV and ABC. According to the outlet, the group apparently used the premiere of Katie Thurston’s season as a deadline for all negotiations.
“The confidential settlement with franchise producers and distributor Warner Horizon was finally reached after one more flurry of back and forth between the parties and Bachelor broadcaster ABC on Monday night,” a source told Deadline. “A motivational undercurrent, so to speak, throughout was Harrison lawyer Bryan Freedman pledging to unleash the Shiva of lawsuits exposing a swath of The Bachelor’s alleged dirty laundry unless his Gersh-repped client emerged feeling the financial love.”
As of right now, representatives from Harrison’s team, WBTV nor ABC has spoken out about the recent settlement.
As Bachelor Nation waits patiently for additional details, we can’t help but wonder who is involved in the “dirty laundry” they speak of. While we all cross our fingers for a “tell-all” book from Harrison – think again, because it sounds like he will be taking the heavy news to his grave.
The exit from the franchise comes after he supported and defended racially insensitive actions by season 25 winner, Rachael Kirkconnell. Rachael Kirkconnell was accused of being a ‘racist’ after images resurfaced of her at an “Old South” antebellum-themed party back in 2018.
Ever since the photos have circulated and caused an uproar, Chris Harrison received flack for his poor statement on ExtraTV with former Bachelorette Rachael Lindsey. The host apologized on Good Morning America for his terrible comment and did not host season 25’s “After The Final Rose” special with Matt James.
The news of Harrison stepping away permanently is no surprise, as the franchise has been finding replacements since the incident. Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe are currently hosting season 17 of The Bachelorette and David Spade will be heading to the tropics to host Bachelor in Paradise this summer.
Celeb Secrets will share information as the story unfolds. How do you feel about Harrison leaving the romantic-inspired franchise? Let us know by leaving a reaction below or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
