- Chris Harrison opened up about the aftermath of stepping down as "Bachelor" host in a new podcast.
- Harrison defended a "Bachelor" contestant, leading to controversy and his eventual departure from the show.
Chris Harrison opened up about the aftermath of his decision to step down as host of the "Bachelor" franchise after he defended embattled contestant Rachael Kirkconnell.
During the first episode of his new podcast "The Most Dramatic Podcast... Ever," Harrison revealed that he lost weight during the ordeal.
"I lost 20 pounds. I didn't sleep, I didn't eat," Harrison said, according to Entertainment Weekly. "It was just one gut punch after the other, and mentally and physically I deteriorated pretty bad."
Harrison also reflected on the backlash he received after defending Kirkconnell during a 2021 interview with "Extra" correspondent and former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay.
"The last thing in the world I ever wanted to do was be an agent of anything negative — whether it had to do with race or anything," the former host said, after revealing that he felt "heartbroken," "gutted," "embarrassed," and "disappointed" in himself following the tense interview with Lindsay.
The controversy surrounding Harrison, Lindsay, and the "Bachelor" franchise began in early 2021, when Kirkconnell, a contestant on Matt James' season of "The Bachelor," was accused of liking racially insensitive posts and called out for posing in a dress for an Antebellum-themed college party. James was notably the first Black Bachelor in the franchise's history.
As the backlash against Kirkconnell grew, Lindsay, who made history as the franchise's first Black Bachelorette, interviewed Harrison for a segment on "Extra."
During the interview, Harrison defended Kirkconnell, calling for "grace" and "understanding" for her.
Harrison also told Lindsay that things were different in 2018, which is when the photos of Kirkconnell were reportedly taken, and said that Kirkconnell had been "thrown to the lions" and "the woke police is out there."
Harrison later apologized for his comments, but subsequently stepped down from his position in the franchise shortly thereafter.