On Wednesday, former The Bachelor turned host Jesse Palmer addressed Chris Harrison’s recent claim that someone else should have gotten his job.
Harrison hosted the ABC dating franchise for almost two decades, from its debut season, which aired in 2002, until 2021, when he stepped down amid allegations of racism.
Later that year, Palmer – the Season 5 The Bachelor – was named the permanent host.
But Harrison recently pushed back against Palmer’s hiring, claiming last month on his new podcast, The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever, that the hosting gig should have gone to former The Bachelorette contestant Wells Adams.
Calling Adams a “very good man” as well as a “good friend,” Harrison said he’d been sure that “Wells was going to get the job.”
“I really hope you get the job. I think you’d be great at it,” Harrison said he told Adams.
But in a new interview with Us Weekly, Palmer dismissed the shady comment, saying he had “no reaction” to Harrison’s claims.
Harrison is “obviously entitled to his own opinion, as everybody is,” the former NFL quarterback said, adding, “I’m just really happy for Chris and wish him the best in his next venture.”
Jesse Palmer replaced Chris Harrison as The Bachelor host
ABC cut ties with Harrison in the summer of 2021, when he appeared to defend The Bachelor Season 25 contestant Rachael Kirkconnell after photos resurfaced of the then-frontrunner at an antebellum-themed party in college.
The network tried out a series of potential replacements for its longtime host before settling on Palmer. Franchise alums Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe were brought on to share hosting duties for Seasons 17 and 18 of The Bachelorette.
For Season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise, ABC turned to a rotating cast of celebrity guest hosts, including comedian David Spade, rapper Lil Jon, and NSYNC’s Lance Bass.
In September of 2021, the network announced that Palmer would return to host Clayton Echard’s Season 26 of The Bachelor.
“Falling in love is one of life’s greatest gifts,” the former ESPN personality told Us Weekly at the time. “I am humbled,” he added, “by the opportunity to return to the show as host.”
Palmer has since hosted Season 8 of Bachelor in Paradise and Season 19 of The Bachelorette.
Jesse Palmer shares his advice for new Bachelor Zach Shallcross
Going into Season 27 of The Bachelor, which stars former Bachelorette contestant Zach Shallcross, Palmer also opened up about the lessons he has learned from his time on the show and how his approach to hosting has changed over the years.
“I think authenticity is, obviously, really important,” Palmer told the outlet.
Though he admitted that it sounded “super cliché,” Palmer said his advice for Shallcross was to just be himself.
The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.