Harrison, who has hosted The Bachelor since 2002, along with spinoffs of the show, shared the news in a lengthy statement on Instagram. “I have spent the last few days listening to the pain my words have caused, and I am deeply remorseful. My ignorance did damage to my friends, colleagues and strangers alike. I have no one to blame but myself for what I said and the way I spoke,” the 49-year-old wrote. “I set standards for myself, and have to meet them. I feel that with every fiber of my being. Now just as I taught my children to stand up, and to own their actions, I will do the same,” he said. “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 so wrong.” He continued, “To the Black community, to the BIPOC community: I am so sorry. My words were harmful. I am listening, and I truly apologize for my ignorance and any pain it caused you. I want to give my heartfelt thanks to the people from these communities who I’ve had enlightening conversations with over the past few days, and I am so grateful to those who have reached out to help me on my path to anti-racism.” Harrison then said that Matt James’ “historic season of The Bachelor,” which features James as the first Black Bachelor ever, “should not be marred or overshadowed” by his “mistakes.” As a result, Harrison said, he will be “stepping aside for a period of time” and will not appear on the show’s After the Final Rose special. Harrison said that he is “dedicated to getting educated on a more profound and productive level than ever before.” “I want to ensure our cast and crew members, to my friends, colleagues and our fans: this is not just a moment, but a commitment to much greater understanding that I will actively make every day,” he wrote. “From here I can only try to evolve and be a better man, and I humble myself before all of you. I hope I will again live up to the expectations you all rightfully have for me and the expectations I have for myself.” Harrison first came under fire after defending current Bachelor star Rachael Kirkconnell after old social media posts surfaced where she was dressed as a Native American and attended a plantation-themed ball. Kirkconnell apologized in her own lengthy Instagram statement. Harrison spoke about Kirkconnell’s situation during an interview on Extra with Rachel Lindsay, who was the first Black Bachelorette in 2017. During the interview, Harrison said that fans should have “a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion” for Kirkconnell. He also used the term “woke police” to describe the criticism surrounding Kirkconnell. Harrison’s comments weren’t well received, and he released a statement the next day in which he apologized for “speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism.” Harrison also apologized directly to Lindsay for “not listening to her better on a topic that she has first-hand understanding of.” He ended on this note: “I promise to do better.” After the interview, Lindsay said on her Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay podcast, that she was having “a really, really hard time” accepting Harrison’s apology. Lindsay said that Harrison “had no problems” with the interview, adding, “He was fine. He texted me after. He appreciated the conversation…He was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll probably get a little flack,’ but thought it was great that we could disagree but do it in a civil way.” She continued, “During that conversation, his privilege was on display. He never gave me room to talk, and he never gave me room to share my perspective. He wasn’t trying to hear it, he was just trying to be heard.” Several recent female and male stars of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette have since come forward to speak out against Harrison’s comments. There’s no word as of now how long Harrison will be stepping away from his hosting duties or whether he would stop his role as executive producer of the Bachelor franchise. Next, meet Matt James’ contestant Bri Springs.
