ABC considers bringing back Chris Harrison to save The Bachelor two years after the racism scandal

ABC is reportedly considering rehiring Chris Harrison as Bachelor host to salvage the show’s declining ratings, just two years after he was forced to resign following a racism scandal.

The production company is said to be intent on bringing the embattled host back as the decades-old show is “on life support,” a source said. online radar.

A well-placed source revealed to the outlet that Harrison could soon take over for new host Jesse Palmer, however they questioned whether he would even want to return “after the way he was cast aside.”

Harrison quit his hosting job of 19 years in 2021 with a payout of $10 million after defending a contestant who was photographed at a plantation-themed college party.

The Bachelorette’s first season reached 20 million viewers in 2003, however that initial success has dwindled over the years, with its most recent premiere garnering just 2.9 million viewers.

Harrison was fired for publicly defending Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell, pictured, after old photos surfaced of her attending a plantation-themed party.

The shock move to bring Harrison back comes as ABC executives fear The Bachelor, which first aired more than 20 years ago, will no longer be a hit with audiences.

Harrison’s last two seasons as host drew 6.07 and 5.23 million viewers respectively, but with Jesse Palmer drawing less than 3 million in this year’s opener, the bosses are already looking to make a change.

“Everyone knows The Bachelor is on life support,” the source claimed.

Amid declining viewership and falling revenue, ABC may choose to skip over the race dispute that saw them fire Harrison in February 2021.

The scandal broke after Harrison publicly defended contestant Rachael Kirkconnell when old photographs surfaced showing her attending a pre-war plantation-themed college party.

It was also alleged that he liked and shared social media posts that featured the Confederate flag.

But Harrison jumped to his defense when he suffered a harsh backlash after the claims, asking viewers to have “compassion” for Kirkconnell.

During an interview with Extra, former contestant Rachel Lindsay, who was the first Black Bachelorette, criticized the images as “not looking good” for Kirkconnell.

At the time, Kirkconnell was on his way to winning the show along with first-ever black bachelor Matt James, and the couple stayed together for two years after the scandal.

In response to Linsday, Harrison said: ‘Well Rachel, does she look good in 2018? Or is it not a good look in 2021? Because there is a big difference.

He also urged fans of the show to have “a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion” for Kirkconnell after the old footage surfaced.

‘Who is Rachel Lindsay and who is Chris Harrison and who is the policeman who woke up, who are you?’ he continued.

I’ve heard this a lot, “I think she should”, “I think he should”. Who the hell are you? Who are you that you demand that?

Following a hostile exchange in which Lindsay reiterated that it “never looks good”, Harrison was publicly ousted from his lucrative hosting job, a decision that appears to have stunted the previously popular show.

Amid declining viewership under new host Jesse Palmer, ABC executives are considering bringing back embattled former host Chris Harrison.

Rachael Kirkconnell won a rose from bachelor Matt James during the 2021 season, despite a racism scandal that led to the firing of presenter Christ Harrison.

Photos surfaced of contestant Rachael Kirkconnell at a plantation-themed party in 2018, as well as a history of liking photos with the Confederate flag.

The former contestant received a harsh backlash after photos of her attending an antebellum plantation-themed party surfaced, along with accusations that she liked and shared photos with a Confederate flag.

Harrison’s racism scandal came as the United States was still reeling from the BLM riots that swept the country in previous months, and his comments sparked backlash at a time when debates about race were at a fever pitch. in the nation.

The controversy led to ABC’s parent company Disney deciding to throw it under the bus following its defense of the old footage, for which it later apologized.

Harrison later revealed that the stress of the public ordeal took a toll on his private life, causing him to lose 20 pounds and fear for his family’s future.

The former host said on his new podcast last month that he was “sick to my stomach” after the scandal, adding: “I didn’t sleep. I did not eat.

‘I was scared to death, not of my job, but of my family. My fiancée, God bless Lauren Zima for being there every step of the way… I was worried about my kids,’ she said.

He also said he was disappointed in himself after the Extra interview: ‘I was heartbroken. And I was devastated. He was ashamed. He was mad at myself. He was disappointed in myself.

At the time of his public firing, Harrison reportedly demanded $25 million to go silent on the show, or else he would air 19 years of behind-the-scenes bachelor secrets and file numerous lawsuits against producers and executives.

“It has almost 20 years of dirt on it,” a source told Page Six at the time.

“Instead of giving them a rose, I was absolutely ready to hand them a lawsuit detailing all the behind-the-scenes details.”

Following his public firing, Harrison later admitted that “it’s been nice” to get his time back after 19 years as host of The Bachelor.

However, the host later accepted a severance package of $10 million, equivalent to two years’ worth of his $5 million salary.

Despite tense negotiations over his departure just two years ago, executives of the long-running reality hit are already considering bringing Harrison back in a hail move to save the show.

DailyMail.com has contacted ABC for comment on the claims.

The rumors come as ABC producers expect the worst ratings in the show’s history due to a lack of social media interaction or online presence among audiences.

A source told The Sun last month: “The show has clearly had its ups and downs, but this is the first time the big bosses have really feared ABC will pull the plug.”

“The Bachelor has been such a downhill disaster that they’re trying to keep it from falling further, but the executives are setting up this opening to be the lowest in the show’s history.”