*”Bachelor” host Chris Harrison said Saturday he is “stepping aside” from the show “for a period of time” amid controversy over his defense of a current contestant whose past social media postings have been labeled racist.
“This historic season of ‘The Bachelor’ should not be marred or overshadowed by my mistakes or diminished by my actions,” the host and producer of the ABC reality show said in an Instagram post. “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.”
Harrison had apologized on Wednesday after speaking out on behalf of Rachael Kirkconnell, a contestant who was reportedly photographed at an antebellum plantation-themed “Old South” fraternity formal in 2018. She has also reportedly “liked” photos that included the Confederate flag.
As previously reported, Harrison uttered his remarks during an interview with “Extra TV” correspondent Rachel Lindsay, also the franchise’s first Black “Bachelorette.” She said Kirkconnell attending the party was “not a good look.” Harrison asked, “Is it a good look in 2018 or is it not a good look in 2021?”
Harrison continued: “You’re 100 percent right in 2021. That was not the case in 2018. And again, I’m not defending Rachael. I just know that, I don’t know, 50 million people did that in 2018? That was a type of party that a lot of people went to. And again, I’m not defending it. I didn’t go to it.”
In Saturday’s post, Harrison wrote that he was “deeply remorseful” for the pain and damage his “ignorance” had brought to his “friends, colleagues and strangers alike.”
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“To the Black community, to the BIPOC community: I am so sorry. My words were harmful. I am listening, and I truly apologize for my ignorance and any pain it caused you,” Harrison wrote.
“I want to give my heartfelt thanks to the people from these communities who I’ve had enlightening conversations with over the past few days, and I am so grateful to those who have reached out to help me on my path to anti-racism.”
Kirkconnell, in an Instagram post Thursday night, wrote that “her ignorance was racist” and that she “didn’t recognize how offensive and racist my actions were, but that doesn’t excuse them.”
She apologized to the communities and individuals her actions harmed and offended, and wrote that she is “ashamed about my lack of education.”
Kirkconnell is competing on the current 25th season of “The Bachelor,” and the first in which ABC cast a Black man, Matt James, as the show’s star.
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