*Chris Harrison said in an interview Thursday that his current racial timeout from hosting “The Bachelor” shouldn’t be permanent, and he hopes to return.
After defending current contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s past racist social media posts, Harrison took himself off of the show. But in an interview with “Good Morning America’s” Michael Strahan Thursday, he spoke of wanting to come back.
Asked if he was the right person to take the franchise forward, Harrison said: “I plan to be back, and I want to be back. This interview is not the finish line. There is much more work to be done, and I am excited to be a part of that change.”
Harrison’s self-imposed exile came after he defended Kirkconnell during an interview with Extra host and the franchise’s first Black “Bachelorette,” Rachel Lindsay. He blamed the “woke police” and “cancel culture” for the backlash against Kirkconnell’s photos, which showed her at a 2018 Antebellum party and “liking” pics that showed Confederate flags in the background.
Asked about his use of the term “woke police” while speaking with Lindsay, Harrison said, “I am saddened and shocked at how insensitive I was… And I didn’t speak from my heart, and that is to say I stand against all forms of racism, and I am deeply sorry. I am sorry to Rachel Lindsay, and I am sorry to the Black community.”
Harrison told “GMA” that he’s working with a race educator and strategist, along with faith leaders and scholars like Georgetown University sociology professor Dr. Michael Eric Dyson.
“Dr. Dyson often talks to me about ‘council, not cancel,’” Harrison explained. “That is full accountability: Understanding what you didn’t understand, owning that, learning from that… Seeking council, often in the community that you hurt and learning from them, listening to them, gaining experience [and] knowledge and moving forward.”
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