In recent years, Chris Harrison has been living his own happily-ever-after down in Austin, Texas with his wife, former “Entertainment Tonight” host and producer Lauren Zima. However, once upon a time he was the host of “The Bachelor” franchise. That gig ended, though, after he sat down for an inteview with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay. Now, she’s opened up about the infamous interview during the Tuesday, December 3, episode of “Love It or Leave It Presents: Bravo, America!” podcast.
For some background, “[i]n 2021, Lindsay interviewed longtime Bachelor and Bachelorette host Harrison, 54, while she worked as correspondent for Extra,” according to Us Weekly. “During the chat, the pair talked about Matt James, who was the show’s first Black Bachelor. Lindsay brought up the drama of contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s attendance at a southern antebellum party while she was in college. (The style of party has received backlash over the years due to the era’s affiliation with slavery and the Confederacy.)”
When the issue was brought up during Harrison’s interview with Lindsay, he “slammed the criticism and defended Kirkconnell as a victim of cancel culture. … Harrison was subsequently let go from the show, which led to a falling out between him and Lindsay.”
Rachel Says Chris Was ‘Ranting & Raving’
Getty“I’m known for asking direct questions, relevant questions. And Chris was there to promote, nobody even knows — some drink maybe. So it was a perfect storm,” Lindsay said of the interview. “ABC PR wasn’t on the call. Warner PR wasn’t on the call. It was the PR of that drink company, so there’s no one to stop him and say, ‘You’re going the wrong way.’ It was 15 minutes of him ranting and raving.”
“He was just showing his true self, but I was sitting back, like, I know this to be you, the audience doesn’t. I’m just shocked that you have the audacity to be saying this,” Lindsay recalled.
“And then when he finished… I go to my EP, and I said, ‘Did you see that?’ She said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘Only air whatever he said about his promotion.’ I said, ‘Put the whole thing on YouTube, unedited,’” she continued.
She added, “And then the next day, it blew up, and I sent it to an executive at ABC, and he was like, ‘Yeah, I already saw it. It’s the first thing on my desk this morning.’”
After the interview sparked a buzz, Lindsay says Harrison got in touch. “He texted me, or called me, that morning and was like, ‘Well, they’re saying I’m gaslighting you.’ He still didn’t get it until somebody said something and apologized. And then when I tried to explain to him why it was offensive. It was dismissive.”
Rachel Thinks Chris Would Still Have His Job Today
During Lindsay’s podcast interview, she was asked by host Jon Lovett if Harrison would end up losing his “Bachelor” gig if the incident happened today.
“He would have sat out maybe, maybe he wouldn’t have hosted the finale episode, and he would have been able to come back. I think he thought that for himself,” she said. “If it had not happened in February of 2021 that’s when cancel culture was heightened.”
