Chris Harrisonhas broken his silence about the allegations againstThe Bachelorcreator Mike Fleiss.
Sitting down withEntertainment Tonight’sLauren Zima forThe Ringer’sBachelor Partypodcast, the series’ host opened up about the situation, contrasting it to thepreviousBachelor in Paradisescandal in 2017.
“I won’t get too deep into this, but I will say as far as those two situations, they’re very different,” Harrison told Zima, who is also his girlfriend. “BecauseBachelor in Paradise, that was a production situation, something that happened on our set, having to do with our show, was relevant to our production — so that was my concern as far as production.”
He continued, “Mike Fleiss and his situation is completely different because it is a very personal, private matter between he, his wife, his kids, his family — and outside of production.”
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The filing also states that Mike has a prenuptial agreement with Laura, with whom he shares 4-year-old son, Benjamin. Additionally, Mike requested joint legal and physical custody of the child.
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Harrison went on to tell Zima that Warner Horizon — a division of Warner Bros., the production firm that owns the rights toThe Bachelorfranchise and creates the show — reached out to let him know they were taking the allegations against Mike seriously.
“[Warner Horizon] have reached out to me and they have let me know that they are aware of the situation, aware of the allegations. They’re taking them very serious and they’re looking into them,” Harrison said. “And beyond that I really don’t have any comment… And we will wait and see until any more facts come in, and I believe them that they are taking it very serious and looking into this.”
In a statement to PEOPLE, a spokesperson for Warner Bros. said, “We are aware of these serious allegations, and are looking into them.”
“Prior to July 4th, Mike threatened me that if I did not have an abortion, he would end the marriage,” she claims in the documents. “This was not the first time he had threatened a divorce during our marriage, but now, he was using this threat as leverage to force me to have an abortion. In addition, on July 4th, Mike made the following statements to me: ‘I am cutting you off financially Monday morning’; ‘You are paying for everything with your money’; ‘Next time I see you, I don’t want to see your stomach’; and ‘You have a choice, you can choose. Have an abortion or go back to Wisconsin, but you are not taking Ben.’”
On July 5, Laura alleges that “Mike was even more angry than he was on July 4th.” She claims that she asked a friend to come and stay with her and Ben at the home that day as Mike was staying at another one of their homes in Hawaii. The next day, on July 6, Laura claims Mike returned and “angrily entered Ben’s bedroom looking for my cellphone.”
RELATED VIDEO:BachelorProduction ‘Looking into’ Allegation that Creator Mike Fleiss Assaulted Pregnant Wife
He goes on to allege that on July 6, “Laura was the aggressor during the incident and physically attacked me. I tried to get away from her as she was chasing me and hitting me. I have security footage from our home that shows the incident, which the Court can review.”
He will have no direct or indirect contact with Laura and must stay at least 100 yards away from her. He has also been ordered to move out of their home in Hanalei, Hawaii.
If you suspect domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
