Chris Harrison, the former host of The Bachelor, announced he will be discussing his exit from Bachelor Nation in a new podcast that he is debuting in January 2023. ABC parted ways with the longtime host after a racial controversy surrounded The Bachelor season 25, which was led by the first Black Bachelor, Matt James. Chris came under fire after racially insensitive images of winner Rachael Kirkconnell surfaced. The Bachelor host defended Rachael, who was shown attending an antebellum plantation-themed fraternity formal in 2018. Shortly after Chris discussed the images with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay, he temporarily stepped aside until his formal exit from Bachelor Nation was announced in June 2021.
Chris will speak publicly about his Bachelor franchise departure for the first time in nearly two years since his exit. Chris will share his perspective as part of a new podcast he is releasing with iHeartMedia. The podcast, The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever...With Chris Harrison, will premiere on January 9, 2023. A promotional trailer for the podcast revealed that Chris is anxious about discussing his split from the Bachelor Nation. He told his fiancé and executive producer Lauren Zima, “I have not spoken publicly for two years about this, and I have a lot of thoughts...I think about this every day. Truly, every day of my life, I think about this and what I want to say, and how important it is that I speak to everyone for the first time.”
Chris Harrison its Discussing His Bachelor Exit Will Be 'Cathartic'
Despite having ample time to reflect and educate himself over the last two years, Chris is still nervous about the dialogue he will have on the subject that arguably ended his career. Chris added, "It's heavy. It's really heavy. We'll see how it goes. We may scrap this whole thing, to be honest, I don't know...I think it'll be cathartic. I'm looking forward to getting this off my shoulders and repairing this, moving forward, letting everybody hear from me." An Instagram post sharing the announcement along with a press release revealed that the podcast is part of a “slate of shows [Chris] will executive produce alongside his fiancé Lauren Zima.” Chris’ Instagram caption stated that he is “excited to connect with all of you once again. I love you all and have missed you very much.”
The weight of Chris’ words and the implications of not denouncing racism still weighs heavily on him. The podcast will act as a platform for Chris to share the growth and learning he has undergone since stepping away from Bachelor Nation. His abrupt exit from the Bachelor franchise was a highly contentious topic. Some of the public may not yet be ready to welcome Chris back into their households, and some may tune in due to morbid curiosity, while others may have been eagerly awaiting his return.
Regardless of the motivation for tuning in, Chris promises a level of vulnerability and transparency that supersedes anything fans ever witnessed during his hosting days on The Bachelor. The podcast episodes will draw on his dating show expertise to give relationship advice as well as tips on managing heartbreak and love. Whether Chris follows in the footsteps of other Bachelor Nation podcast hosts and invites former cast onto his show remains to be seen.
Sources: THR, Chris Harrison/Instagram