The Bachelor star Chris Harrison hit headlines in 2021 when he was fired from the reality show and now, the former presenter has spoken out in a new interview about his exit which he described as "heartbreaking".
Speaking on The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever, which was shared on Monday, the former host opened up about the controversy that surrounded his departure from the show. Get the details on what happened here…
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Why did Chris Harrison leave The Bachelor?
Chris left the dating show as host in 2021 after reports began circulating that he had defended the racist actions of a former contestant. The actions in question occurred in February 2021 when he spoke out in defense of Rachael Kirkconnell who was pictured attending an antebellum plantation-themed party in 2018.
After Chris defended the photos and Rachael in an interview, Chris was criticized for his comments and thus decided to step down from his role as host.
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Chris stepped down as host in 2021
At the time when the news broke in the summer of 2021, he said in a statement: "I'm so grateful to Bachelor Nation for all of the memories we've made together. While my two-decade journey is wrapping up, the friendships I've made will last a lifetime."
Now, the star has spoken about the incident over a year later. Chatting on the podcast, he says: "I was heartbroken. I was gutted. I was embarrassed. I was mad at myself. I was disappointed in myself. The last thing in the world I ever wanted to do was be an agent of anything negative, whether it had to do with race or anything."
The TV presenter hosted the show for over 20 years
Chris continued: "The fact that I was involved in this and that I had a big part in this – and I do own that – there were many things out of my control and things definitely spun out of control for a number of reasons. But for my part in this, I was sick, sick to my stomach."
He added: "My name became synonymous with this political lightning in a bottle moment."
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