Disgraced Host Chris Harrison Is “Grateful” That He Left ‘The Bachelor’: “I Had To Remove Myself From What Became A Very Toxic Situation”

Chris Harrison is finally speaking out since exiting The Bachelor franchise in 2021 after 19 years of hosting the show.

During a recent episode of Bachelorette alum Jason Tartick’s Trading Secrets podcast, Harrison explained that he was “grateful” he left the show when he did because it was becoming “a very toxic situation.” His exit came after he defended Bachelor Season 25 contestant Rachael Kirkconnell when photos resurfaced online of her attending a “plantation-themed” sorority party in 2018.

Speaking to Tartick, Harrison said, “What I went through was tumultuous. 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. But, with that said, I knew I had to remove myself from what became a very toxic situation.”

He later added they likely “could have figured it out” amidst all the backlash he faced, but he ultimately felt that he “had to” remove himself from the franchise.

“I’m proud that I handled it the way I did and 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.”

Harrison later added that he was not quite prepared to leave the show the way he did. “I had to mourn the loss of something that I didn’t intend to exit then. I would have probably soon, but not then, like that,” he said. “And so there was mourning a loss there.” He also mentioned that he did receive “immediate offers to get right back into the game,” but he ultimately decided to take a break and reconnect with himself and his wife.

At the time, the former Bachelor host swiftly apologized for defending Kirkconnell, saying, “My intentions were simply to ask for grace in offering her an opportunity to speak on her own behalf. What I now realize I have done is cause harm by wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism, and for that I am so deeply sorry.”

He also apologized to former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay, who originally asked him for his opinion on the resurfaced images of Kirkconnell.

“I also apologize to my friend Rachel Lindsay for not listening to her better on a topic she has a first-hand understanding of, and humbly thank the members of Bachelor Nation who have reached out to me to hold me accountable,” his statement continued, per Entertainment Weekly. “I promise to do better.”

Harrison — who left the franchise with a mid-range eight-figure payoff and the agreement that he would not share any insider info — has since been replaced on The Bachelor by Jesse Palmer.