Chris Harrison’s New ‘Traditional Marriage’ Dating Show Gets Backlash & Confusion From Fans
What To Know
- Five years after exiting The Bachelor franchise, Chris Harrison announced that he’ll be hosting a new dating show.
- The series will focus on people dating for “traditional marriage” and “partnership built on commitment and shared values.”
- The concept of the show has sparked backlash from fans online.
It’s been nearly five years since Chris Harrison exited as host of The Bachelor franchise, but he’s returning to the format with a new dating series. Harrison teased the upcoming series in a February 4 Instagram post.
The post revealed that a “prominent streaming service” is “now casting” individuals who want to date “for a traditional marriage.” According to the ad, singles “who believe in clear roles, long-term commitment, and building a life together, and who are dating with real intention,” should apply. Harrison captioned his post, “It’s time to help people find love again. Now casting.”
The comments section was filled with fans reacting to the announcement, with many confused by the specifics of the casting call. “Traditional marriage????? Why are we reverting back to 1920?” one person wrote. Someone else commented, “This looks like the back of a Christian self-help book,” and another person wrote, “Traditional marriage sounds loaded.”
Another commenter noted that the references to “traditional marriage” and “clear roles” are “giving Handmaid’s Tale,” adding, “We can be excited about marriages and engagements without encouraging the idea of women and men having predetermined roles they have to play.” Many others questioned what “traditional marriage roles” entail.
There were some supportive messages, too, with a lot of commenters expressing excitement that Harrison will be back on a new show. “I stopped watching The Bachelor when you left. Can’t wait to watch this!” someone admitted, while another commenter said, “We’ve missed you!”
Harrison was the host of The Bachelor and its spinoffs for 19 years before leaving the franchise in 2021. His exit came after he publicly defended The Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell when old photos of her attending an antebellum-themed party in college resurfaced online. He has since been replaced by Jesse Palmer as the show’s host.
And while Harrison is now embarking on this new venture, he previously made it clear that a return to Bachelor Nation is not in the cards for him. “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 said in 2025.
