Bachelor Nation
Would Chris Harrison Ever Return as ‘The Bachelor’ Host? He Says…
It’s been four years since Chris Harrison left The Bachelor franchise after serving as host of The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, and more for 19 years. He’s since gotten married to Lauren Zima and moved on with his life, with the Bachelor Nation hosting gig going to Jesse Palmer.
But would Harrison ever be down to return to the role he held for nearly two decades? While speaking to fans on a cruise with Ben Higgins and Wells Adams for the Almost Famous podcast, he addressed that exact question.
After noting that Adams “should’ve been the [new] host in the first place,” Harrison said, “The answer is no. But for a very good reason. It was an amazing love affair for a very long time, and as someone who’s now married for the second time, I think you are with people and people come into your life for a season for a reason, and that show was wonderful to me and my family, I think, for a season.”
He compared going back to “trying to rekindle an old romance that’s gone.” Harrison also made sure to clarify that his reasons for not returning would not be “bitter,” and reiterated that he “adores” the show. “I will always have fondness and love in my heart for it,” he gushed. “For the friendships I made, the people in front of and behind the camera. I traveled the world. I never really traveled that much the way I grew up. This show gave me the ability to travel the world and see every corner of it 10 times over. A lot of blessings came from it, but to try to get back into that relationship … I wouldn’t be there for the right reasons.”
After answering the question, he returned to his original point by adding, “How Wells isn’t hosting Paradise is beyond me. Has there ever been a bigger layup in television history?”
Even before Harrison’s departure, Adams was the bartender on Bachelor in Paradise, and seemed like an obvious choice to take over as host in 2021. Instead, the show brought in a rotating cast of guest hosts for that season, with Palmer solidifying his spot the following year. Adams revealed that he and wife Sarah Hyland were initially supposed to host the 2021 season together, but that inevitably fell through.
Harrison’s Bachelor Nation exit came after comments he made while Season 25 of The Bachelor was airing. Contestant Rachael Kirkconnell came under fire when racist photos of her from college resurfaced online. Harrison defended Kirkconnell, which prompted backlash from former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay and many more.
After the interview in February 2021, Harrison stepped aside as host of the subsequent season of The Bachelorette, with Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe filling in as guest hosts. He officially departed the franchise in June 2021.
Palmer began his official hosting duties on Season 26 of The Bachelor in January 2022.
