Bachelor host Chris Harrison defends Ante-Bellum Theme Party: "50,000,000 people did that in 2018"

“I really agree with you on that,” Lindsay said. “I agree this is on her, not necessarily the show.”

“I respect her enough to allow her the courtesy of time and she can speak on her own,” Harrison concluded.

Harrison’s interview was not well received by many on social media.

Chris Harrison to be cancelled in 3....2.....1.....

Isn’t the main viewership for this show the kind of people who would go to an antebellum frat party?

Happens in threes.

Who's next?

Who?

I demand that thing be CANCELLED!

Uh, CBS PR didn’t step in on Chris Harrison straight white mansplaining how racism is okay?

REALLY???

I don't give a fuck about any of this, but I know The Bachelor is on ABC.

Whatever R8. Even worse. At least CBS would have had an excuse as the old racist white person network.

"50,000,000 people did that in 2018"

Names please.

I'm surprised at Chris Harrison.

But he seems to be in the same position as Republican Congressmen.

His viewership base is made up of Deplorables and MAGATS, and if he pisses them off then his ratings will sink.

So he has to pander to them.

Sad!

He’s a moron who needs to shut his fucking trap.

Here we go....

[quote] Fans Want Chris Harrison Fired From ‘The Bachelor’ After Another Racism Scandal

For fans of The Bachelor, the escapism that comes with watching the show is starting to clash with reality in a big way. After years of allegations of racist behavior within the show’s ranks, as well as incidents of contestants’ racist behavior in public and on camera being swept under the rug, calls are intensifying for ABC to finally do something about it. One thing many fans want? Some accountability for Chris Harrison, the show’s host and executive producer.

Harrison is under fire this week after he spent an excruciating 13-minute interview with Rachel Lindsay, the show’s first Black lead, gaslighting her and excusing the racist actions of Rachael Kirkconnell, a contestant on the current season.

When discussing pictures that resurfaced of Kirkconnell attending an Antebellum themed fraternity formal in 2018, Harrison responded to Lindsay’s comment that it “wasn’t a good look” by saying, “Well, Rachel, is it a good look in 2018? Or, is it not a good look in 2021? Because there’s a big difference.”

Lindsay responded, “It’s not a good look ever, because she’s celebrating the Old South. If I went to that party, what would I represent at that party?”

Harrison’s response to that?

“I don’t disagree with you. You’re 100 percent right in 2021. That was not the case in 2018. And again, I’m not defending Rachael. I just know that, I don’t know, 50 million people did that in 2018? That was a type of party that a lot of people went to. And again, I’m not defending it. I didn’t go to it.”

Harrison has since apologized for that interview. In a statement posted to his social media, he said he was “simply” asking for “grace” for Kirkconnell.

“What I now realize I have done is cause harm by wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism, and for that I am deeply sorry,” he wrote, adding a personal apology to Lindsay at the end.

In response to Harrison’s statement, the BIPOC women from the current season of the show put out a statement of their own, condemning the way non-white women are treated on The Bachelor and saying that they deserve the grace that Harrison is asking for for Kirkconnell.

This is far from the first time Harrison has been accused of sweeping racism under the rug during his 18-year tenure on the show. In 40 seasons, Lindsay was the only Black lead to be cast before this season, with Matt James in the starring role. The franchise has been accused of casting James as a “knee-jerk reaction” to last summer’s racial justice protests and a petition from fans that garnered 80,000 signatures asking for the show to finally cast a Black male lead.

Now, fans are circulating another petition, this time calling for Harrison to be removed from the show. Some of the franchise’s biggest and most outspoken fans, the moderators of The Bachelor subreddit, have shared the petition and called for Harrison to finally face some accountability.

“The moderators of this sub are disgusted by the recent interview between Rachel Lindsay and Chris Harrison,” they wrote. “Using a black woman’s platform to shield Rachael [Kirkconnell] and advocate that racism should be given ‘grace’ is beyond words. It is past time this franchise take REAL ACTION to denounce racism and white supremacy and this sub provides a platform to call for change.”

So far, more than 30,000 people have signed the petition asking for Harrison to be removed. He has not commented on the petition.

I'll bet he regrets doing that stupid interview with Rachel.

Every undergrad in Kappa Alpha and their dates R10.

Wonder what fraternity Chris was in, hmmm...

"I knew I never should have included black people on The Bachelor!!"

R15 He was a Kappa Sigma at Oklahoma City University in the late 80’s. I was at the same university at the same time.

[quote] Kappa Sigma at Oklahoma City University in the late 80’s

Oh, DEAR!

He's a Deplorable MAGAT for sure.

Gen-Xer former fratboy from Oklahoma????

No wonder he said what he said.

Rachel Lindsay is annoying. She takes this silly show and its participants way too seriously.

He’s a Trumper, it seems.

He's stepping aside - I assume until this season is over.

"I have consulted with Warner Bros. and ABC and will be stepping aside for a period of time and will not join for AFTER THE ROSE special. I am dedicated to getting educated on a more profound and productive level than ever before.

Isn't this a show about procuring women for some rich guy to pick and choose from after trying each of them out? I mean...

Rofl R21.

Chris Harrison is CANCELLED!

[quote] Rachel Lindsay is annoying. She takes this silly show and its participants way too seriously.

She may soon take Harrison's job and be the face of the franchise.

[quote] I am dedicated to getting educated

@ R21 China does a lot of re-educating.

From the wikipedia page for the series creator/executive producer, Mike Fleiss:

"In November 2014, Fleiss was criminally charged for harassing Baywatch star David Charvet and his wife, actress Brooke Burke;[1] the case was eventually dismissed. In July 2019, Fleiss' then-wife Laura Kaeppeler alleged that he physically assaulted her while she was pregnant after he "demanded she get an abortion", prompting the Kauai Police Department to lead a criminal investigation.[7] Two weeks later, Kaeppeler dropped the assault charges and received a $10-million settlement."

Probably a conservative too.

He was stupid to open his mouth but the cancel culture makes me want to puke. How is it not McCarthyism when any speech that isn’t “correct” costs people,their livelihoods, reputations etc. and the whole thing is run by mobs. That apology was like something the Stalinists made people sign before they shot them.

Chris Harrison is the show. So maybe now is a good time to pull the plug on the franchise.

[quote] Chris Harrison is the show. So maybe now is a good time to pull the plug on the franchise.

I agree.

The show will die without Chris Harrison.

And if they try to install Rachel as host? No fucking way. She's a twat.

Cancel culture = McCarthyism = Group Hysteria.

Chris Harrison made a good point about how standards have changed so rapidly in recent years that nearly everyone has a "cancelable" action on social media that someone could weaponize against them.

Chris has been doing The Bachelor for so long that he probably has accumulated enough "fuck you" money to say, well...

FUCK YOU!

Guess who is another famous graduate of Oklahoma City University. DL fave Kristin Chenoweth!

He’s never coming back. All these deplorables unable to hide their racism being taken down is fucking glorious. And the Trumpie whining about canceling is even better. LOLOLOL

Not trying to defend the douche Chris or the crap show, but if Shonda had made some show like Bridgerton with wealthy black people in some antebellum party, the same SJWs, who are foaming at the mouth and demanding cancelation, would be bending over backwards to explain how there were wealthy Black people in the South even back then, how the casting is justified, yada yada yada. All the social media chatter is a case of "outraged when it is convenient to be".

[quote] That apology was like something the Stalinists made people sign before they shot them.

Exactly!

Gina Carano had more balls than he does, by refusing to grovel to such a revolting degree. She lost income as a result of the attacks on her, but at least she was able retain her dignity.

As if someone comparing how Republicans are treated to Nazism has dignity! You Trump Nazis are too fucking much!! 🤣😂

The Twitter bubble is not the world. It is a very small subset of the viewing audience for The Bachelor. The petition only got 30,000 signatures out of 20 million people who watch the show. The majority of its millions of viewers would not want Chris to leave the franchise. To have him step aside to appease this small minority of wokers is absurd.

[quote] I'll bet he regrets doing that stupid interview with Rachel.

He went on her podcast as a favor to her, which he should not have done. Don’t do any favors for former contestants. Be like other producers, bosses, writers who refuse to go on former underlings’ podcasts. You don’t see Joss Whedon going on Amber Benson’s podcast.

[quote] The petition only got 30,000 signatures out of 20 million people who watch the show. The majority of its millions of viewers would not want Chris to leave the franchise. To have him step aside to appease this small minority of wokers is absurd.

Ding, ding, ding!!!!

That ABC would cave to this tiny minority of annoying twats, is LUDICROUS!!

He thinks things were different 3 years ago? Has he not paid attention to what’s been going on since the 50s and 60s? What an incredibly stupid person.

The show is fake as shit, but people should be more insulted by the very premise of the show - a bunch of desperate women falling over themselves for a bunch of closet cases.

[quote] Cancel culture = McCarthyism = Group Hysteria.

McCarthyism was nominally a reaction to communism. To what sociopolitical movement is cancel culture the reaction?

[quote] He went on her podcast as a favor to her, which he should not have done. Don’t do any favors for former contestants. Be like other producers, bosses, writers who refuse to go on former underlings’ podcasts. You don’t see Joss Whedon going on Amber Benson’s podcast.

Bullshit! His hubris is his undoing. Don't tell a Black woman how she should feel about a racist affront.

[quote] Don't tell a Black woman how she should feel about a racist affront.

I think it's easier just to never speak to a black woman. Ever.

Then you won't have to deal with all their self-righteous bullshit and defensiveness.

Problem solved!

I hate this show. Nothing good comes out of any season. Some people might justify their own bad behavior because they saw it on the Bachelor/ette.

R45, I definitely agree that is the right solution for you -- since you likely are a maladjusted loser who no one would ever want to talk to anyway.

But the lesson for everyone else is don't let your overweaning ego overwhelm your decency and common sense.

This is typical of females in the workplace.

Catty, vindictive, and hateful.

Always out to get men.

Rachel probably wanted his job, and she knew how to get it. Particularly in this woke climate.

[quote] “Were we all looking through [that lens] in 2018?"

Excuse me? This was less than three years ago. He’s making it sound as if happened decades before. I’m surprised that in 2018 anyone still thought it was a good idea to have a party celebrating the Old South. No one should have needed the horror of George Floyd’s murder to realize that some “Moonlight and Magnolias” themed party was a piss-poor idea.

[quote] Rachel probably wanted his job, and she knew how to get it. Particularly in this woke climate.

There is a petition on Twitter for Rachel to be the new host and all bachelors to be BIPOC.

There you have it, R50.

The woke agenda strikes again.

Little do they realize that this is really turning people against the movement.

It's fucking obnoxious.

WHITE MEN WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!!

They WILL assimilate to our tolerance Level and belief systems or they WILL be cancelled!!

While people will NOT offend us in any way!!

You WILL NOT trigger our discomfort for the sake of your own white thoughts and viewpoint!s!!

Does anyone know what the ratings were for Tayshia’s season and for the first black Bachelor? It’s back to back black leads.

Rachel is such a joke. Maybe if she actually picked a black man she would have more credibility, but she went on to snag a white guy. Now she’s made a career out of being the black spokesperson for the show and she gets pissed at everything.

Every black lead has picked someone white, yet the outrage is reserved when a white person picks another white person or when it’s a black male in this case picking a white woman. That’s why they went hard into this girl’s background because she is rumored to be the winner. There is a Bachelor Reddit board and all they do is investigate everyone who is a non POC and call for them to be canceled. It’s asinine, especially given with this show is about.

Looks like the whole show is going to be CANCELLED.

Thanks, Rachel! Stupid cunt.

The white male host defends a white female contestant's attendance at an overtly racist gathering -- the Greek equivalent of a Klan rally -- but it is somehow all the Black woman's fault? Trump is the consequence of NOT holding someone to account for their own actions.

[quote] Rachel Lindsay Says It Was the 'Right Decision' for Chris Harrison to Step Aside as Bachelor Host

What a fucking SNEAKY and CONNIVING bitch!!!

I hope there's a fucking backlash against this ugly, maniupulative twat!

I wonder what her endgame is.

Is she a man in drag?

It's funny/strange to me how popular this garbage show still is. Is it getting even more popular or has it peaked yet? With this junk as a number one show, what won't basic straight people watch on TV? Are televised executions next?

If you hate Trump but you watch reality TV of any kind, that's cognitive dissonance.

Supposedly, the first black bachelor has already dumped the girl because of her misdeeds. He issued a very woke statement.

What a boring dud he turned out to be. I think it may be time to kill off Bachelor Nation.

Too many damn Rachels. The only one we need is Maddow.

Chris Harrison doesn't deserve to be a Chris.

That’s a Demon, Baby!

He really had no choice but to dump her. I think that would’ve happened anyway though. I am not someone who screams ‘he’s gay’ like so many here, but he had no chemistry with any of the women. He was the happiest when Tyler came to visit.

[quote] Chris Harrison addresses 'Bachelor' controversy after temporary departure: 'I am an imperfect man'

Chris Harrison is speaking out, more than two weeks after temporarily stepping aside from The Bachelor.

In a sneak peek of his interview on Good Morning America, the embattled television host says "it was a mistake" to defend contestant Rachael Kirkconnell's past racist behavior.

"I made a mistake," Harrison tells Michael Strahan. "I am an imperfect man. I made a mistake and I own that."

Harrison and The Bachelor franchise have been embroiled in controversy amid Matt James's historic season. Shortly after the Jan. 4 premiere, Kirkconnell — the presumed winner — was accused of past racist actions, which she has apologized for — twice. Among the allegations were photos of the 24-year-old graphic designer from 2018 at an "Old South" plantation-themed college formal.

In an interview on Extra with Rachel Lindsay, the franchise's first Black lead, Harrison asked for people to give Kirkconnell some "grace" while excusing historical racism.

"Is it a good look in 2018 or is it not a good look in 2021?" Harrison said of the pictures.

"It's not a good look ever because she's celebrating the Old South," Lindsay explained. "If I went to that party, what would I represent at that party?"

"I don't disagree with you," Harrison replied. "You're 100 percent right — in 2021. That was not the case in 2018. Again, I'm not defending Rachael. I just know, I don't know, 50 million people did that in 2018... that was a type of party that a lot of people went to."

Harrison, 49, apologized after the interview went viral, eliciting outrage from most of Bachelor Nation.

"While I do not speak for Rachael Kirkconnell, my intentions were simply to ask for grace in offering her an opportunity to speak on her own behalf," he wrote. "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."

Shortly after his mea culpa, Harrison announced he would "be stepping aside for a period of time" and will not host the traditional After the Final Rose special. Emmanuel Acho, a former NFL player and best-selling author of Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man, has been tapped as his replacement. But Harrison's future longterm is up in the air.

[quote] What a boring dud he turned out to be. I think it may be time to kill off Bachelor Nation.

Haha, R62.

Rachel agrees with you. What a fucking bitch. SHE caused all this drama. Glad she's getting hate mail.

[quote] Rachel Lindsay Thinks Bachelor Franchise ‘Should Just Stop’ Filming Until They ‘Figure Things Out’

As the Bachelor franchise moves forward — without host Chris Harrison for the time being — Rachel Lindsay is speaking out about why she thinks production should actually be put on pause altogether.

The former Bachelorette, 35, said Tuesday on her Higher Learning podcast that as filming is about to begin on the upcoming season of The Bachelorette, "I think that they should just stop until … they get the train back on the tracks" in terms of the ongoing racism controversy.

"You're gonna go into another season, but you still have all these issues. How have you fixed them coming into a new season?" Lindsay said. "You really haven't. So I think that they need to take a beat, figure things out, regroup and then bring the product back to us [in] a way that we can all enjoy it the way that we used to."

On Tuesday's episode of her podcast, which she co-hosts alongside media personality Van Lathan, Lindsay noted, "Everyone who's been at issue has issued an apology except for the franchise, except for the network, except for the production company."

"You need to hear something from them. It's almost like, how do you say you have a racist problem or racist issue without saying you have a racist issue? You bring in Emmanuel Acho to host the finale — you bring in the man who has his own uncomfortable conversations," she continued. "You're not saying it, yet you're bringing somebody in who has built an entire brand to rectify, or attempt to, or explain the issue when it involves racism."

"They need to come out and say something. They need to grab ahold of this and control the situation, because right now, you're letting your fans speak for you," Lindsay said.

The television host called on the powers that be to take action, imploring, "This is an audience that you have curated for 15 years until you had the first lead of color: me. You have built this. These people feel that they had their world, and now people of color are trying to mess it up. You did this."

Rachel Lindsay is a thinner, gap-toothed version of Roxane Gay.

Perpetually triggered, and always exhausting.

I don't watch The Bachelor but my mother and her friends told me the black Bachelor was a good Christian man.

HA! Maybe because he is gay so didn't paw at the women.

Time to cancel RACHEL LINDSEY!!!!