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Bachelor Nation was shocked by the news that Chris Harrison will leave The Bachelor franchise. This comes on the heels of the debut of Katie Thurston’s season of The Bachelorette, which was hosted by Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe.
Harrison has been the face of the series and all of its ABC spinoffs since 2002. While this news comes as no surprise to fans of the series who have followed Chris’ story with interest.
After appearing to defend former Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s participation in racist imagery as a college student in an interview with Rachel Lindsay for the television show Extra, Harrison found himself in the hot seat with not only the show but also, former contestants for his comments.
Although he publicly apologized via a statement on Instagram and during an interview with Michael Strahan on Good Morning America, the show appeared to move on without him.
Adams and Bristowe began their hosting duties on June 7. David Spade is just one of a revolving panel of hosts that will front the new season of Bachelor in Paradise. Then it was revealed that Harrison would not return for the fall season of The Bachelorette which will star Michelle Young.
How much will Chris Harrison receive for walking away from his part on the series? Its quite the substantial amount.
Chris Harrison will reportedly receive a hefty payout for keeping silent
Harrison will reportedly score an eight-figure payoff from production as long as he promises to remain silent reported Deadline.
The site said that there will likely be statements coming from both Harrison and the producers of the franchise at some point today in an attempt to show a semblance of peace, but Deadline reported that behind-the-scenes its a different story.
Harrison’s reps have reportedly been in negotiations over the past few days with WBTV as well as ABC. These have been going on for days as Harrison’s reps worked out the final details of his payout in exchange for silence.
This news directly contradicts statements made by Harrison to Strahan, where he said “I plan to be back and I want to be back.”
“I am an imperfect man. I made a mistake and I own that,” he said. “I believe that mistake doesn’t reflect who I am or what I stand for. I am committed to the progress not just for myself but also for the franchise.”
Buzz Feed News reported that Strahan said Harrison’s apology was “nothing more than a surface response on any of this. Obviously, he’s a man who wants to clearly stay on the show, but only time will tell if there’s any meaning behind his words.”
Harrison was rumored to spill Bachelor secrets if he did not get payout
Deadline reported that the confidential settlement with franchise producers and the show’s distributor Warner Horizon was reached on June 7.
This puts the entire franchise in flux now that Harrison is out as the face of the series. A rotating panel of guest hosts would likely not sit well with Bachelor fans, who enjoyed the stability Harrison brought to the series as a voice of reason when tensions and emotions ran high.
Who could forget when he chased after Colton Underwood when the Bachelor lead jumped a fence after romantic troubles with Cassie Randolph? Or how he spoke to Matt James when he was unsure if he wanted to continue with the process of picking a potential mate during Season 25.
While Chris Harrison’s exit remains, for the moment, shrouded in secrecy, time will tell how it will affect the franchise moving forward.
The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.