Former The Bachelor franchise host Chris Harrison has revealed that he believes Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams were "set up to fail" when ABC had named the women co-hosts of The Bachelorette in 2021.
|
ADVERTISEMENT
|
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
The controversy resulted in Chris announcing that he was leaving The Bachelor franchise for good in June 2021.
ABC then announced Kaitlyn and Tayshia would be guiding Katie Thurston's journey to find love on The Bachelorette's seventeenth season in Summer 2021 as "mentors." (The women were asked back for Season 18 starring Michelle Young, but their run as co-hosts ended in late 2021).
"The only thing that really upset me when I heard that you and Tayshia were hosting [The Bachelorette] was that it was you and Tayshia, and that they named two of you," Chris said on the February 5 episode of "The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever with Chris Harrison."
Chris told Kaitlyn that she and Tayshia "were doomed to fail" from the start.
"You were set up to fail," Chris insisted, essentially slamming The Bachelor producers for the casting decision.
"That was never going to succeed. That show, and again, I know it intimately, more than anybody, is there not room for two people. There's not room for two mentors. There's not room for two emotions in that mental space that you're taking over."
Chris reiterated how having two co-hosts "was just never going to work."
"If I had been involved with you and Tayshia, that's what I would have expressed, is, 'I don't see how this is going to work,'" Chris admitted.
"And I wasn't watching the show, not because I was mad at you guys, but I removed myself... I kept in touch with a lot of people that were in production, and I just felt for you guys. I knew how awkward and tough that situation was going to be."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWKaitlyn, who previously starred on The Bachelorette's eleventh season and became good friends with Chris at the time, explained that while she and Tayshia "got along" and "had a great time," having two co-hosts "took away the level of" professionalism and it was "too bad."
Kaitlyn recalled, "It didn't feel professional to have two, and then it kind of made us feel silly and goofy with each other where we didn't take it as [seriously] as one person would have."
"And like you said, there really isn't enough room for two people to be in that position," she added.
After Kaitlyn and Tayshia co-hosted two The Bachelorette seasons, ABC hired sports analyst and former The Bachelor star Jesse Palmer to host the franchise. He began hosting The Bachelor's 26th season starring Clayton Echard in early 2022, and he's kept the job since.
Kaitlyn admitted she's not sure why she was initially "shocked" when ABC didn't ask her back for The Bachelor 26 or a future edition of The Bachelorette.
"They were like, 'You probably saw this coming,' and I was like, 'I actually did not!'" Kaitlyn confessed.
"Now, looking back, I'm like, 'Of course it would've never worked to have two hosts for the rest [of the show].'"
Chris added, "To have two women hosting The Bachelorette -- so now you really have three women, [including the star] -- that's a lot in that space."
ADVERTISEMENT
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
Kaitlyn said there was "no training involved" and it was a roller coaster, adding, "We were definitely not set up to succeed."
Kaitlyn also suggested that ABC probably named her a "mentor" so that the show wouldn't have to pay her and Tayshia a host's salary.
"When I went into it blind, I got there and started reading off a prompter. And I was like, 'Oh, okay, so we are definitely hosting.' That's when I knew it was actually happening. I had so many different feelings," Kaitlyn recalled of her first days on the job.
Kaitlyn called the gig "really challenging" and said she respects "the hell" out of Chris for doing the job for nearly 20 years.
But Kaitlyn said she "loved hosting" and found The Bachelorette to be "the ultimate hosting role."
"But then I also felt guilty... like imposter syndrome and, 'Why do I deserve to be here and have this?' And then on another level, I'm feeling, 'Why can't I do this on my own? Why do they need two of us? Why do they just not trust me by myself?' So many emotions!" Kaitlyn explained.
During Chris' February 2021 Extra interview, Chris had adopted a dismissive attitude towards photos of Rachael that resurfaced and were circulating online from an antebellum-plantation themed "Old South" fraternity party at Georgia College & State University in 2018.
Chris had called for "grace" and "compassion" for Rachael and also criticized the "woke police" and the "unbelievably alarming" response of anger and frustration to the young woman's actions.
Chris' strong defense of Rachael, who tearfully apologized for the racially-offensive photos, enraged many Bachelor Nation fans.
Chris therefore announced in February 2021 he'd be "stepping aside" from his hosting duties with The Bachelor franchise "for a period of time" to educate himself on racism in society in a "profound" and "productive" manner.
Chris issued a total of three public apologies for his offense, two on Instagram and then one verbal apology during a March 2021 appearance on Good Morning America.
ADVERTISEMENT
On GMA at the time, Chris had said he hoped to come back to The Bachelor franchise, explaining, "This is a franchise that has been a part of my life for the better part of 20 years and I love it. I plan to be back and I want to be back."
Rachel even accepted Chris' apology in March 2021, but other people weren't so lenient.
Katie refused to star on Season 17 of The Bachelorette in March 2021 if Chris was going to participate, and several sources told E! News in April of that year that "many" The Bachelor and The Bachelorette alums from seasons past were "apprehensive" about signing up for Bachelor in Paradise 7 or even declined their invitations in the wake of Chris' racism controversy.
One insider told the website at the time, "A lot of people are removing themselves from the franchise."
ABC and Chris publicly announced in June 2021 that Chris' voluntary leave of absence from The Bachelor franchise would become a permanent one and he would not be returning as host for any future seasons.
Chris wrote in a June 8, 2021 statement on Instagram how he was "excited to start a new chapter" and "so grateful to Bachelor Nation for all of the memories."
Multiple sources told E! News in 2021 that Chris was "saddened" and "frustrated" about his The Bachelor departure, adding that the show was his "whole life" and he really wanted to come back.
Deadline reported in June 2021 that Chris, who began hosting The Bachelor franchise back in Season 1, which premiered in 2002, reached a mid-range eight-figure settlement with ABC to exit The Bachelor franchise for good.
But Variety subsequently reported Chris only received $9 million as his supposed payout.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
Interested in more The Bachelor news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group!
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
