Chris Harrison from the hit ABC reality show The Bachelor has broken his silence regarding his racial remarks during an ExtraTV interview with host and former bachelorette, Rachel Lindsay.
On Thursday, March 4, Harrison virtually sat down with co-anchor Michael Strahan on Good Morning America to discuss the controversy surrounding current front-runner Rachael Kirkconnell and his poor choice of words during the Extra interview.
“I made a mistake,” Harrison said on ABC early Thursday morning. “I am an imperfect man. I made a mistake and I own that. I believe that mistake doesn’t reflect who I am or what I stand for. I am committed to progress, not just for myself, also for the franchise. And this is a franchise that has been part of my life for the better part of 20 years and I love it,” he adds.
EXCLUSIVE: “It was a mistake.” #TheBachelor host Chris Harrison apologizes for defending frontrunner Rachael Kirkconnell’s past racist social media posts, telling @michaelstrahan he is an “imperfect man” who is “committed to progress.” https://t.co/OfPBBzGd9s pic.twitter.com/0EgbKV99DV
— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 4, 2021
Kirkconnell, one of the finalists on the current season of The Bachelor — which features the first male black lead Matt James — caused an uproar as several images recently resurfaced of her attending a plantation-themed fraternity formal in 2018 and dressed in Native American attire in costume. However, that’s not all… the contestant was also liking confederate flag-related TikToks.
When Lindsay addressed the photos during the one-on-one interview [Harrison] responded with a defensive statement and asked for people watching to have “a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion” for Rachael Kirkconnell.
“People are just tearing this girl’s life apart,” Harrison told Lindsay. “I’m like, ‘Really?’” after Lindsay said that the 2018 photos at the Old South party weren’t a “good look.”
“Well, Rachel, is it a good look in 2018, or is it not a good look in 2021? Because there’s a big difference,” he added.
“It’s not a good look ever because she’s celebrating the Old South,” Lindsay replied. “If I went to that party, what would I represent at that party?” After the interview, Lindsay was blamed for Harrison’s exit from the show. She even disabled her Instagram account due to the amount of cyber-bullying and death threats she was receiving.
Now, during the Good Morning America interview, Harrison backtracked on his statement about the photos taken in 2018 when Strahan pressed him on whether or not there is a “difference” between 2018 and 2021. “There is not,” said Harrison. “Antebellum parties are not OK. Past, present, future, knowing what that represents is unacceptable.”
Harrison shared that he has been working with a race educator to learn the difference between right and wrong.
“I sought out leading scholars, teachers, faith leaders, people like Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, who I am so grateful for, and I’ve also been working closely with a race educator and strategist. I thank them all,” says Harrison to Strahan. “But. Dr. Dyson often talks to me about council. Not cancel, and that is full accountability, understanding what you didn’t understand, owning that, learning from that, seeking counsel often in the community that you hurt, learning from them, listening, gaining experience, knowledge and moving forward.”
During his world-wide apology, he shared that he will not be permanently leaving Bachelor Nation and hopes to resume his position as host.
“I plan to be back and I want to be back,” says the longtime host. “This interview is not the finish line. There is much more work to be done and I am excited to be part of that change.” During the GMA interview, he also admitted that he is “saddened” and “shocked” at how insensitive he was during the conversation with Rachel.
"I plan to be back and I want to be back … This interview is not the finish line," Chris Harrison told @michaelstrahan. #TheBachelor https://t.co/wmtSZrBI99
— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 4, 2021
Rachel Lindsay recently spoke out about Chris Harrison’s future with The Bachelor franchise on Friday, March 5. “I’m not going to give my opinion on what I think should happen with the franchise, what I think [Harrison’s] role should be moving forward,” says Lindsay on the Van Lathan’s Higher Learning podcast. “I think something is getting lost here, and that is, I’m not on the show anymore. I went on The Bachelor, The Bachelorette; I found my husband. I moved on.”
As of right now, former NFL player Emmanuel Acho is set to replace Chris Harrison for the show’s “After The Final Rose” special on Monday, March 15.
Let us know if you think Chris Harrison deserves a second chance or not by leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by tweeting us at @celebsecrets.
