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Chris Harrison fans will be disappointed to learn that Chris Harrison will likely not rejoin The Bachelor franchise at all in 2021.
Fans were pleasantly surprised during Matt James’s After The Final Rose finale special when Katie Thurston and Michelle Young revealed there would be two seasons of The Bachelorette this year instead of one.
However, it now appears that Chris Harrison will be involved with neither of them.
A source told Us Weekly that Chris will likely not be returning to host Michelle Young’s season of The Bachelorette. Additionally, the search for a replacement host for Michelle’s season has already started.
Chris Harrison will not be hosting Bachelor in Paradise
This news comes just one day after it was revealed that Chris will not return to host Bachelor in Paradise.
Instead, a rotating cast of comedians will host the summer spinoff series. So far, the only host who has officially been confirmed is David Spade.
The first season in the franchise that will happen without Chris is Katie Thurston’s upcoming season of The Bachelorette.
Her season will be hosted by Bachelorette alums Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams. Even though producers insisted that they would only be a temporary fix, it didn’t necessarily mean that Chris would be coming back permanently or even at all.
Why Chris hasn’t been asked back to host the Bachelor franchise
Chris hasn’t returned to host the Bachelor franchise ever since he took a step back during the franchise’s racism controversy.
Chris defended Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell after pictures of her from an Antebellum-themed plantation photoshoot surfaced.
He has yet to return to the franchise, but it doesn’t seem to be of his own accord.
During his apology speech on Good Morning America, Chris vowed to return to the franchise.
“I plan to be back and I want to be back,” he stated. “And I think this franchise can be an important beacon of change. I know that change is felt, not just by me, but by many others. And we are excited and willing to do the work to show that progress. This interview is not the finish line. There is much more work to be done. And I am excited to be a part of that change.”
Chris was reportedly surprised that he wasn’t asked back for the next immediate season, Katie’s The Bachelorette, and reportedly grew hostile towards producers.
This is when he hired a powerful attorney to look into suing the franchise. While he may have had a chance of returning to host, threatening to take legal action has reportedly put producers off and drastically decreased the likeliness of his return.
Additionally, his chances of ever returning are slipping away with each spinoff series that he isn’t asked back for since he last appeared on Matt James’s season of The Bachelor.
Bachelor fans will just have to wait and see if Chris Harrison is gone for good.
The Bachelorette returns to ABC on Monday, June 7 at 8/7c.