Celebrity
Chris Harrison Said It “Wasn’t Healthy” For Him Stay On The Bachelor
“What I went through was tumultuous. I don’t wish it on anybody."
For years, Chris Harrison was the face of The Bachelor. However, after hosting the show for 19 years, he left it behind for good in 2021.
His departure came after Harrison drew criticism for defending one of the contestants, Rachael Kirkconnell, who reportedly attended a “plantation-themed” sorority party in 2018. At the time, he called for “a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion” for Kirkconnell during an interview with Extra.
Shortly after defending her, he admitted to Good Morning America that his comments had been a “mistake.” Nevertheless, the controversy eventually led to him permanently leaving the show.
“I Knew I Had To Remove Myself”
Even though Harrison had hosted the show for almost two decades, he now claims he has no regrets about leaving. As the former host explained on the Trading Secrets podcast, the scandal was “horrifying” to go through.
“What I went through was tumultuous,” he said on the podcast. “I don’t wish it on anybody. It was horrifying on a lot of levels — and something that I pray to God my worst enemy never goes through.”
According to Harrison, he made the decision to step back from the show. “I knew I had to remove myself from what became a very toxic situation,” he said.
He didn’t explain exactly how the situation had become toxic, but earlier this year, Harrison confessed the scandal affected his mental and physical health.
“I lost 20 pounds. I didn’t sleep, I didn’t eat,” he said in the first episode of his podcast, The Most Dramatic Podcast... Ever. “It was just one gut punch after the other, and mentally and physically, I deteriorated pretty bad.”
No Regrets
Although Harrison is now glad he left The Bachelor franchise after the scandal, he also has fond memories of his time as host.
“I still look at [the show] as a blessing because it changed my life on so many levels,” he said. “Financially, of course. It changed my life. It changed my kids' lives.”
He added, “It changed my life, but at the same time, I can also be grateful that I’m gone. That’s a relationship I don’t need to be in anymore because it wasn’t healthy.”
After Harrison left The Bachelor, he’s been busy. Earlier this year, he married Entertainment Tonight producer Lauren Zima. He also launched his own podcast, and his children have all started college. As he wrote on Instagram in 2022, “Now life as an empty nester begins.”
