More stories

  • in

    Chris Harrison Replaced as ‘Bachelorette’ Host by 2 Female Ex-Contestants

    #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }What to WatchBest Movies on NetflixBest of Disney PlusBest of Amazon PrimeBest Netflix DocumentariesNew on NetflixAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyChris Harrison Replaced as ‘Bachelorette’ Host by 2 Former ContestantsMr. Harrison, who acknowledged making comments dismissive of racism, will be replaced on the coming season by the first women to host the franchise, Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe.Tayshia Adams, above, will co-host the next season of “The Bachelorette” with Kaitlyn Bristowe. Both are former contestants of the show.Credit…Valerie Macon/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesMaria Cramer and March 13, 2021Updated 5:54 p.m. ETChris Harrison will not host the next season of “The Bachelorette” for the first time in the history of the franchise, which began as a guilty pleasure when it debuted in 2002 but has in recent years been criticized for its lack of diversity and insensitive handling of race.Mr. Harrison, 49, will be replaced by Tayshia Adams, who will become the first woman of color to host a season of the show, and Kaitlyn Bristowe. Both are former “Bachelorette” leads.In a statement, Warner Horizon and ABC Entertainment said they supported Mr. Harrison “in the work that he is committed to doing,” and pledged to continue to try achieve “greater equity and inclusion” within the franchise.“We are dedicated to improving the BIPOC representation of our crew, including among the executive producer ranks,” Warner Horizon and ABC Entertainment said, using an acronym meaning Black, Indigenous and people of color. “These are important steps in effecting fundamental change so that our franchise is a celebration of love that is reflective of our world.”Mr. Harrison announced last month that he was “stepping aside” from the current season of “The Bachelor” after acknowledging making remarks that dismissed the racist behavior of a contestant.The decision to feature two women as hosts also follows years of criticism of the show for its portrayal of women as being fixated on marriage or as petty and unstable. The show was also pressured for years by many of its fans, members of “Bachelor Nation,” to include nonwhite leads and more nonwhite contestants.Last month, ABC said that Emmanuel Acho, a former N.F.L. player and the author of the book “Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man,” would host an hourlong post-finale special of “The Bachelor” on March 15.The announcement that Mr. Harrison would not host “The Bachelorette” was the latest development in a tumultuous season, which had intended to break ground by featuring the first Black male lead, Matt James, in “Bachelor” history.Before Mr. James, there had been two Black leads on “The Bachelorette”: Rachel L. Lindsay, who was announced as the lead in 2017, and Ms. Adams, whose father is African-American and whose mother is Mexican, and who was a recent midseason replacement.Mr. James’s season was praised for its diverse cast, but many viewers became dismayed by the producers’ decision to focus on fights between the women instead of the relationships building between the contestants and Mr. James.That disillusionment grew into outrage as offensive social media posts and photos of one of the contestants, Rachael Kirkconnell, emerged.In one post, Ms. Kirkconnell had liked a photo with a Confederate flag. Another photo on social media showed her attending an “Old South” plantation-themed ball in 2018.Last month, Mr. Harrison defended Ms. Kirkconnell, who is one of the two finalists on the show, when Ms. Lindsay asked him about the ball during an interview on “Extra.” Mr. Harrison said that “50 million people did that in 2018.”“Rachel, is it a good look in 2018 or is it not a good look in 2021?” Mr. Harrison asked during the interview, suggesting that such parties might have been acceptable in 2018.Ms. Lindsay replied: “It’s not a good look, ever, because she’s celebrating the Old South. If I went to that party, what would I represent at that party?”Mr. Harrison, who frequently talked over Ms. Lindsay during the interview, accused the “woke police” of going after Ms. Kirkconnell and acting as “judge, jury, executioner.”“I don’t know how you’re equipped, when you’ve never done this before, to be woke enough, to be eloquent enough, to be ready to handle this,” he said.Kaitlyn Bristowe will co-host the next season of “The Bachelorette.”Credit…Jc Olivera/Getty ImagesMs. Kirkconnell has apologized. Mr. Harrison also apologized on Instagram after the interview and said that, by excusing historical racism, he had defended it.“I invoked the term ‘woke police,’ which is unacceptable,” Mr. Harrison wrote on Instagram. “I am ashamed over how uninformed I was. I was so wrong. To the Black community, to the BIPOC community: I am so sorry. My words were harmful.”AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

  • in

    Emmanuel Acho to Host ‘The Bachelor’ Television Special

    #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }What to WatchBest Movies on NetflixBest of Disney PlusBest of Amazon PrimeBest Netflix DocumentariesNew on NetflixAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyEmmanuel Acho to Host ‘The Bachelor’ Television SpecialMr. Acho, author of “Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man,” will host “After the Final Rose” after the show’s longtime host went on hiatus over comments dismissive of racism.Emmanuel Acho will host “After the Final Rose” after the announcement that the show’s longtime host, Chris Harrison, would be “stepping aside.”Feb. 28, 2021, 4:08 p.m. ETEmmanuel Acho, an author and former National Football League player, will host a post-finale special of “The Bachelor” after the show’s longtime host, Chris Harrison, said he was “stepping aside” after he made comments that were dismissive of racism.Mr. Acho, who wrote the book “Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man” and hosts a show by the same name, said in a statement that it was “both an honor and privilege” to host the hourlong special on March 15.“This is an incredibly pivotal episode on one of the most storied shows in television history,” he said.The installment of a Black host caps a season that featured the ABC franchise’s first Black “Bachelor,” Matt James, but has also been overshadowed by a series of controversies amid calls from the show’s fans to increase its efforts toward diversity and inclusion.Mr. Harrison’s hiatus came after an interview with Rachel L. Lindsay, the show’s first Black “Bachelorette,” in which Mr. Harrison defended racist actions by one of this season’s three finalists.The “After the Final Rose” special will “cover the current events about the franchise,” ABC said in a statement, as well as conversations between Mr. Acho, Mr. James and the three finalists.One of the finalists, Rachael Kirkconnell, has faced criticism over photos that have recently surfaced, including one of her attending an “Old South” plantation-themed ball. Ms. Kirkconnell apologized in an Instagram post, saying, “I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist.”Mr. James said that the interview between Mr. Harrison and Ms. Lindsay “was troubling and painful to watch,” adding that “it was a clear reflection of a much larger issue that ‘The Bachelor’ franchise has fallen short on addressing adequately for years.”Mr. Harrison, who is still listed as the show’s host on its website, apologized, writing on Instagram that his comments, like his use of the term “woke police” in defending Ms. Kirkconnell, were “unacceptable.”Ms. Lindsay had suggested last week that Mr. Acho “would be fantastic” as a host for the special because he has been “very outspoken about racial injustice, for social justice, and has pretty much been the person who said, ‘I can have these uncomfortable conversations and people trust it.’”Mr. Acho said on Instagram about the announcement: “I love being a bridge for reconciliation. Our world is disconnected & divided, my goal is to unify.”Mr. Acho, an analyst for Fox Sports, is a former linebacker for the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles football teams. He left the N.F.L. in 2016 to join ESPN as an analyst.His YouTube show, “Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man,” has covered topics like policing, national anthem protests and “Karens & Cancel Culture.” An episode titled “A Conversation With the Police” has more than two million views.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

  • in

    Chris Harrison to Step Away From ‘The Bachelor’ After ‘Harmful’ Comments

    #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }What to WatchBest Movies on NetflixBest of Disney PlusBest of Amazon PrimeBest Netflix DocumentariesNew on NetflixAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyChris Harrison to Step Away From ‘The Bachelor’ After ‘Harmful’ CommentsThe reality television show’s longtime host will be absent for an unspecified amount of time. He has come under fire after making remarks he now acknowledges were dismissive of racism.“I invoked the term ‘woke police,’ which is unacceptable,” Chris Harrison, the host of “The Bachelor,” said on Instagram. “I am ashamed over how uninformed I was. I was so wrong.”Credit…Richard Shotwell/Invision, via Associated PressFeb. 13, 2021, 7:36 p.m. ETChris Harrison, the longtime host of “The Bachelor,” announced on Saturday that he would be “stepping aside for a period of time” from the flagship reality television show, which he helped develop into a national obsession, after coming under fire for making comments that he acknowledged were dismissive of racism.In an Instagram post, Mr. Harrison said he had made the decision after consulting with ABC and Warner Bros. and would also not participate in the “After the Final Rose Special.”Media representatives for ABC, which broadcasts the show, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was not clear what exactly Mr. Harrison’s “stepping aside” would entail.The move by Mr. Harrison and the controversy surrounding his remarks are likely to send shock waves through “Bachelor” Nation and dampen a trailblazing season that features the first Black bachelor, Matt James.Before Mr. James, there had been only one other Black lead, Rachel L. Lindsay. In an interview on “Extra” with Ms. Lindsay this week, Mr. Harrison had sought to defend a current “Bachelor” contestant. That contestant has since apologized for what she said were racist “actions.”“I invoked the term ‘woke police,’ which is unacceptable,” Mr. Harrison wrote on Instagram, adding, using an abbreviation for Black and Indigenous people and people of color: “I am ashamed over how uninformed I was. I was so wrong. To the Black community, to the BIPOC community: I am so sorry. My words were harmful.”“This historic season of ‘The Bachelor’ should not be marred or overshadowed by my mistakes or diminished by my actions,” he continued, before announcing that he would step aside.The tangled situation that resulted in Mr. Harrison’s statement Saturday was ignited by his interview with Ms. Lindsay and involves Rachael Kirkconnell, a current contestant on the show whom many believe to be a front-runner.In recent weeks, Ms. Kirkconnell has faced scrutiny on social media platforms from users who have produced photos and other materials that purport to show her liking and participating in cultural appropriation and attending an “Old South” plantation-themed ball. Ms. Lindsay asked Mr. Harrison about the controversy surrounding Ms. Kirkconnell, and Mr. Harrison issued a staunch defense.He called for “grace” and assailed Ms. Kirkconnell’s critics as being “judge, jury, executioner.”“People are just tearing this girl’s life apart,” he said. “It’s just unbelievably alarming to watch this.”At one point in the interview, Mr. Harrison appeared to downplay the significance of a photo that purported to show Ms. Kirkconnell at the “Old South” antebellum-themed party, drawing pushback from Ms. Lindsay, who at 31 was cast as the first Black star of “The Bachelorette” in a season that aired in 2017.On Thursday, Mr. Harrison offered an initial apology on Instagram, saying he had caused harm “by wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism.”Then, on Friday in a podcast she co-hosts, Ms. Lindsay spoke out about the interview with Mr. Harrison. She said Mr. Harrison had apologized to her but said she was “having a really, really hard time” accepting his apology.“I can’t take it anymore,” she said, speaking broadly about her frustration with the franchise’s handling of race. “I’m contractually bound in some ways, but when it’s up — I am so — I can’t, I can’t do it anymore.”Ms. Kirkconnell also posted an apology on Instagram. While she did not directly confirm the veracity of the photos and other content posted online, she said her actions had been racist.“I’m here to say I was wrong,” she wrote in her post. “I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist.”Mr. Harrison then offered his fuller apology on Saturday in the post in which he announced he was stepping away from the show for an unspecified amount of time.As the franchise has become somewhat more diverse, “The Bachelor” has also wrestled more awkwardly with race.In 2017, when Ms. Lindsay’s season as the first Black bachelorette aired, one contestant’s racist tweets were excavated; another called her a “girl from the hood.” She is from Dallas, where her father is a federal judge.In 2019, when contestants traveled to Singapore, they were unable to make sense of that city’s internationally famous food markets.In 2020, a contestant lost the prize of a cover of Cosmopolitan magazine when it was discovered she had modeled White Lives Matter merchandise.The franchise creates and recirculates a pantheon’s worth of former contestants, building dozens of brands each year that may become useful to the franchise or may be discarded.Sometimes past contestants re-enter the cluster of “Bachelor” shows (which include “Bachelor in Paradise,” a hookup-oriented bacchanal that brings together fan favorites and villains), but these careers often go on to exist just on social media, where people do sponsored content for toilet paper and start gyms.But in this case, in a rare show of solidarity, past contestants came together to speak up. For instance, the men of Season 16 of “The Bachelorette” came together to make a statement.Vocal online fans have included those in Reddit’s thebachelor channel, where hard-core followers of the show have blasted Mr. Harrison — and at least one popular post this week suggested boycotting the show entirely as viewers.Evan Nicole Brown and Choire Sicha contributed reporting.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More