Chris Harrison On Leave from ‘The Bachelor’ After ‘Excusing Racism’

Bachelor host Chris Harrison will be taking leave from The Bachelor after he publicly excused racism during a live interview.

“By excusing historical racism, I defended it. I invoked the term ‘woke police,’ which is unacceptable. I am ashamed over how uninformed I was. I was wrong,” he wrote via Instagram. “I have consulted with Warner Bros. and ABC and will be stepping aside for a period of time and will not join for the After the Final Rose special.”

“After the Final Rose” is a live special which airs after the season finale. Season 17 of the show will begin filming soon — and after this, it’s uncertain as to who the host will be.

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During an interview with Black Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay, he excused current “Bachelor” frontrunner Rachael Kirkconnell’s alleged racism — despite her being pictured at a plantation party.

“Is it [not] a good look in 2018, or is it not a good look in 2021?” he asked a shocked Rachel.