Bachelor Nation taken by surprise as new host of the Bachelor and Bachelorette is announced. photos courtesy of Official instagram page of Chris Harrison; Official Twitter page for Emmanuel Acho
After a controversial season and a questionable interview, Chris Harrison retires from the Bachelor.
This season of the Bachelor had many twists and turns. Spoiler alert! Contestant Rachel Kirkconnell, who was chosen in the end by Matt James (the show’s first Black bachelor), had photos come out of her at an antebellum-themed plantation party hosted by a fraternity in college and has allegedly liked photos containing the Confederate flag. This of course sparked a lot of attention from the Black community and created many problems after the show’s final episode.
Chris Harrison, who has been the host of the Bachelor since 2002, experienced backlash after a surprising interview when asked what his opinions were on Kirkconnell’s past and the accusations regarding her in an interview with the former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay. Bachelor nation was caught off guard by Harrison’s opinions and answers during Lindsay’s interview. Harrison came out defending Kirkconnell’s past and asked Lindsay if her past actions were okay in 2018 or not okay because it is 2021. Lindsay, baffled, mentioned that the actions were never okay in any year or situation. Harrison also mentioned the term “Woke Police,” which was out of hand and caused an uproar of protests from the Black community. Shortly after Harrison received the backlash of thousands, he let out a public apology stating how his actions were terribly wrong and that it was not his intention to offend anyone, but his actions cannot be defended. Lindsay also mentioned that privately she and Harrison had spoken after the initial interview and he was quick to apologize. She announced that she appreciated it but because of her experiencing racist encounters herself, she was not so sure that she could accept the apology so quickly.
After this fury arose, there was a hunt to find a new host for The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. During the episode “After the Final Rose,” Bachelor Nation was introduced to the new host, Emmanuel Acho. The former NFL player is set to take over immediately and is going to last for at least the upcoming season of The Bachelorette. Chris Harrison said he was taking a break from The Bachelor, so Acho is now filling in his place. Acho is a first generation American, as both of his parents are from Nigeria. Acho was drafted into the NFL in 2012 by the Cleveland Browns and later was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. After retiring from the NFL, Acho has done some work as a host and made his own podcast. Bachelor Nation was extremely pleased with the decision of Acho due to him being a POC (person of color) and with his experiences and opinions on racism, which he has discussed on his podcast, “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man.” In the podcast, Acho allows the voice of all races to ask questions and share his experiences with race based issues. In 2020, a book was made based on the podcast, and now, he is the host of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. After the tailspin of racism issues, Bachelor Nation is looking forward to having a POC host, and the shows could not be placed in better hands than with Emmanuel Acho.
