Chris Harrison To Take Break From Hosting "The Bachelor" Following Racism Controversy

BYCole Blake2.7K Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images
The Bachelor, Chris Harrison
Chris Harrison has announced he will be taking a break from "The Bachelor" after defending Rachael Kirkconnell.

The longtime host of The Bachelor, Chris Harrison, says he is taking a break from his role on the show after seemingly defending contestant Rachael Kirkconnell, who has been accused of publishing racist posts on social media. Harrison says he doesn't want his actions to overshadow an otherwise historic season of the program.

Getty Images / Getty Images

“This historic season of The Bachelor should not be marred or overshadowed by my mistakes or diminished by my actions,” Harrison wrote in a statement on Instagram. “To that end, I have consulted with Warner Bros. and ABC and will be stepping aside for a period of time and will not join for the After the Final Rose special.”

Kirkconnell has been accused of wearing an offensive Native American costume, posting pictures of Confederate flags on social media, and attending an antebellum plantation-themed party in 2018. She apologized for her behavior earlier this week:

I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist. I am sorry to the communities and individuals that my actions harmed and offended. I am ashamed about my lack of education, but it is no one’s responsibility to educate me. 

Harrison defended Kirkconnell, saying that she deserved to be shown "a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion."

He explained: “Because I have seen some stuff online — this judge, jury, executioner thing — where people are just tearing this girl’s life apart and diving into, like, her parents, her parents’ voting record. It’s unbelievably alarming to watch this. I haven’t heard Rachael speak on this yet. And until I actually hear this woman have a chance to speak, who am I to say any of this?”

[Via]


About The Author
Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.
...