Chris Harrison attends the 49th Daytime Emmy Awards at Pasadena Convention Center on June 24, 2022.Photo:Amy Sussman/Getty
Amy Sussman/Getty
Chris Harrisonis looking back at his time onTheBachelorwith gratitude.
Harrison, 52, hosted the reality dating competition series for 19 years beforestepping away from the franchisein February 2021, followingbacklash he received after defending season 25 contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s pastracist behavior.Jesse Palmerwas named as the new hostthat September.
Chris Harrison.Craig Sjodin via Getty
Craig Sjodin via Getty
“The show was a blessing,” said Harrison. “I still look at this as a blessing in my life. It was hard at first, obviously, it wasn’t immediate where I felt great about everything because what I went through was tumultuous. I don’t wish it on anybody.”
He noted that the backlash was “horrifying on a lot of levels” and “something that I pray to God my worst enemy never goes through.”
“But, with that said, I knew I had to remove myself from what became a very toxic situation, and I did, and that was a very difficult situation," he continued. Harrison said that while he believed something could have been figured out in the long run, he knew he had to “remove” himself from the “toxic situation.”
Chris Harrison is seen speaking with Matt James during a season 25 episode of “The Bachelor”.Craig Sjodin via Getty
“I’m proud of that decision. I’m proud that I handled it the way I did and I still look at it 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.”
“It was a blessing. 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,” he said.
While Harrison said he wouldn’t make a return to the franchise, he told Tartick, 35, that “it’s hard in this business,” noting the popularity of dating shows.
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“Once I left, people started taking their shots at the champ, and they’ve succeeded, and now there’s competition, and now there are shows in the zeitgeist, they’re being talked about, they’re getting press that we used to get. Again, it’s hard to survive when you don’t have those eyeballs anymore because people will talk about another show," he added.
source: people.com
