Former Bachelor host Chris Harrison received a payout from his departure from the franchise. However, it turns out the amount he received is much lower than what was initially reported.
Initially, it seemed as if Chris would receive a $25 million payout. However, he allegedly did not receive the “significant eight-figure payout” that Bachelor Nation initially thought.
Variety reported that Chris actually received “roughly $10 million — a combination of a $9 million exit settlement, plus remaining contractual fees — upon leaving the job he held since 2002.”
While anything in the millions is a hefty amount of cash, there is a significant difference between $25 million and $9 million.
Why Chris Harrison was set to receive such a high payout
Chris Harrison knew his days were number at The Bachelor. Since he left following Matt James’s season of The Bachelor, he was passed up on hosting The Bachelorette and then Bachelor in Paradise.
Allegedly, after he wasn’t asked back for The Bachelorette, Chris sought out a powerful attorney and explored what legal actions he could take against the franchise.
It seems that his lawyer helped him present the years of dirt he had on the franchise. When it was Chris’s time to go, it has been reported that he threatened to sue the franchise and used that to leverage his payout.
“He has nearly 20 years of dirt,” an ABC source told Page Six. “Instead of handing them a rose, he was absolutely ready to hand them a lawsuit detailing all the behind-the-scenes details.”
However, Chris’s strategic move didn’t go as successfully as Bachelor Nation initially thought as he left with a check that was $16 million less.
Chris Harrison’s Bachelor departure explained
Chris Harrison’s downfall began following an interview with former Bachelorette lead and Extra correspondent Rachel Lindsay.
During the interview, Chris defended The Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell after racially insensitive pictures surfaced of her posing at a plantation for an Antebellum-themed photoshoot.
Chris was condemned for talking over and at Rachel, a black woman, over the race issue.
Meanwhile, Rachael herself spoke out weeks later condemning the pics and promising to educate herself.
Variety also revealed that Chris was not pushed or encouraged by The Bachelor, Extra, ABC or any publicist to do the interview defending Rachael. Rather, he specifically reached out to Extra to coordinate the interview himself.
Chris stepped down from his hosting duties following this interview. He did issue an apology in which he vowed he’d return to the franchise.
Unfortunately for him, that didn’t pan out.
The Bachelorette airs on Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.