Chris Harrison talks leaving The Bachelor; is the show better now?

Come next year there is another season of The Bachelor airing on ABC starring Joey Graziadei (pictured above), who may actually be the most universally-loved lead coming into this version of the franchise in a while. There’s a lot to be excited about here … and yet, there are still headlines out there about the former host.

Speaking to former contestant Jason Tartick on his podcast, Chris Harrison had the following to say about how he exited the franchise — which first began with him receiving backlash for his defense of Matt James contestant Rachael Kirkconnell attending an antebellum-themed party back in college:

“I still look at this as a blessing in my life. It was hard at first. Obviously, it wasn’t immediate that I felt great about everything, because what I went through was tumultuous … I don’t wish it on anybody. It was horrifying on a lot of levels and something that I pray to God my worst enemy never goes through. But, with that said, I knew I had to remove myself from what became a very toxic situation.”

Harrison goes on to say that he thinks he could have eventually waded through the scandal and returned, but ultimately opted to leave under his own accord.

Here is one of the more ironic things about Harrison’s exit. If you take all of the controversy aside and just focuses directly on the hosting, we would actually argue that Jesse Palmer is just as good, if not better, than Harrison was a few seasons in. Both have the necessary experience and chops, but we also feel a stronger projection of empathy for the contestants from Jesse. That is especially apparent when you get around to some of the reunions. Some of that may be thanks to his experience as a former lead.

Related – Get some more news now on The Golden Bachelor, including Gerry and Theresa’s upcoming wedding

Do you think that The Bachelor is in a particularly good spot at present?

Share right now in the comments! Once you do just that, keep coming back to get some other updates.

This article was written by Jessica BunBun.