Former Bachelorette contestant Mike Johnson weighed in on the exit of original series host Chris Harrison. He also shared a message for Bachelor Nation, many of whom have vowed not to tune in to watch the upcoming seasons of the show now that Harrison and the series have parted ways.
Johnson, who competed on Season 15 of The Bachelorette starring Hannah Brown, said that things cannot always stay the same and viewers will have to from the familiar to a series that can be new and exciting.
Speaking with Us Weekly, Johnson addressed Harrison in a friendly manner as well as the passionate members of Bachelor Nation.
“I want to say Chris, I hope I get to see you in Austin, [Texas], man. We both live out here. Chris, you had a wonderful run,” Johnson said.
“For the fans that adore Chris, the fans that adore the show, and the fans that are annoyed, I just want to simply say that change can be good. You know, we must grow, we must evolve.”
“Chris, wasn’t going to do the show until he was 93, you know? He was there for 19 years. … I’ll catch him at a barbecue out here,” he remarked.
Johnson shared his hopes for the future of the franchise
Johnson added his own hopes for the future of The Bachelor franchise, including his opinion on the series of rotating hosts that will helm the summer mainstay Bachelor in Paradise.
“I personally like a franchise host,” Johnson explained.
“I really liked the way that Chris was. I like Steve Harvey too. I’m not really with the rotation of hosts because you want to make sure that you have something concrete,” responding to the future of the franchise, where it appears show execs are trying many different things at once until they find a formula that resonates with fans.
Bachelor Nation: Keeping up with the changes
On the heels of Harrison’s absence, the franchise has taken some bold steps to continue the popular group of series’ that include The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Bachelor in Paradise.
The first was to introduce viewers to motivational speaker and author Emmanuel Acho, who hosted The Bachelor: After the Final Rose to close out Matt James’s run as the male lead of the show.
Secondly, they asked former franchise stars Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe to step in as hosts of the first of two seasons of The Bachelorette that will air through the end of 2021. They currently helm Katie Thurston’s season, but it has not been announced if the women will take over the series in the Fall as well.
In a third switch, a series of rotating celebrity hosts will helm Bachelor in Paradise. These include comedian David Spade, rapper Lil Jon, NSYNC vocalist Lance Bass, performer Tituss Burgess, and Bachelor alum Wells Adams and his finance, former Modern Family star Sarah Hyland.
The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.