Chris Harrison may reportedly make an appearance on The Bachelor: After the Final Rose in attempt to do some damage control and save his job as the franchise's host.

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ABC is in talks about whether Chris should appear on The Bachelor: After the Final Rose and discuss the controversial comments -- which the longtime host admitted were "excusing historical racism" -- that he made during an early-February interview with The Bachelorette's first-ever Black star, Rachel Lindsay, for Extra, according to OK! Weekly.

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"Chris is going to have to do an interview at some point to explain his 'uniformed' and 'unacceptable' interview with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay on Extra. What better place than to do this on the After the Final Rose special?" an insider told OK!.

The Bachelor: After the Final Rose is expected to film this week, according to Reality Steve spoiler blogger Steve Carbone, and will air Monday, March 15 on ABC following the conclusion of Matt James' season.

Chris would inevitably sit down for an intense discussion about racism with the special's new host, Emmanuel Acho, a former NFL linebacker and Fox Sports analyst who hosts the weekly web series Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man.

"If Emmanuel Acho can forgive Chris on live TV, then so can Bachelor Nation," the insider said.

Chris will reportedly be hoping to win his job back considering many cast members in Bachelor Nation have turned against him and tens of thousands of fans have signed an online petition asking ABC to remove Chris from his hosting position permanently.

"It is a risky move, but it is being discussed behind the scenes. Chris is all for it, knowing that if he doesn't do something bold, he will never return to the show," explained the OK! insider.

Multiple other sources also claim Emmanuel's performance on After the Final Rose will serve as his audition to take over Chris's hosting job heading into the next The Bachelorette season.

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"If Emmanuel does a great job and gets huge ratings, Chris is gone forever," the insider said.

Although there are still many The Bachelor fans who believe Chris is the face of the franchise and are rallying for him to stay on the show, a source previously told the magazine that producers have been "getting clobbered with calls for Chris's removal as host and they are weighing that option."

The source added that Chris's temporary leave of absence may not be enough to satisfy angry viewers and ABC "may have no other choice but to replace him."

The Bachelor: After the Final Rose will also feature Emmanuel interviewing Matt -- the first Black Bachelor in 25 seasons -- as well as his Final 3 bachelorettes: Bri Springs, Michelle Young, and Rachael Kirkconnell, who has been accused of racist behavior in her past.

Chris came under fire when he attempted to defend Rachael and dismiss the allegations that had been attached to her name since early January when The Bachelor premiered.

Rachael was accused of bullying a girl in high school for dating a Black man and recently liking offensive photos on Instagram, such as two girlfriends posing in front of a Confederate flag.

In addition to an image of Rachael dressed in Native American costume, photos also resurfaced of Rachael attending a plantation-themed "Old South" fraternity party at Georgia College & State University in 2018.

Chris called for "grace" and "compassion" for Rachael and also criticized the "woke police" and "unbelievably alarming" backlash against the young woman.

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"Before accepting the job, Emmanuel insisted that he must be allowed to ask anything he wants. He will be working with the show's great team, but there are no questions that are off the table," the OK! insider claimed.

"Emmanuel doesn't want to burn the show down, but at the same time, he has to ask uncomfortable questions that will make producers and fans squirm."

The Bachelor producers reportedly feel pressure to "get this episode right" or else the future of their franchise could be in jeopardy and so a choice was made to pre-tape the special rather than film it live like most previous seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette.

"This way, producers will be able to have total control," the source said.

Carbone had heard in February that After the Final Rose was going to tape on Monday, March 1.

However, Carbone tweeted on February 28, "Due to Emmanuel Acho just being named ATFR host yesterday, the ATFR taping set film tmrw has been pushed back til later in the week. That ATFR hour will be shown as part of the 3 hr finale on March 15th. First taped ATFR in a long time."

Both Rachael and Chris have publicly apologized multiple times for their racism controversy.

Rachael, who confessed her "ignorance was racist," said she's now trying to use her social-media platform to help educate others about her mistakes, and Chris released two apologies late last month.

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Rachel publicly admitted she had a tough time accepting Chris's first apology since his words seemed hasty and insincere, and so Chris went on to release a second, more extensive and apologetic letter to Bachelor Nation on Instagram.

Chris expressed deep remorse and announced he'd be "stepping aside" as The Bachelor host for a "period of time" to educate himself.

Despite Chris's two statements, Rachel expressed hesitation and concern over whether Chris should ever return to his role as host of the franchise since many cast members and fans of the show are up in arms.

Rachel subsequently received an offer to host The Bachelor: After the Final Rose special for Matt's season, according to Us Weekly, and Rachel was accused of cancel culture and essentially trying to steal Chris's job.

Rachel went on to recommend Emmanuel for the position instead, but she was still bullied and harassed on social media. Many The Bachelor fans blamed Rachel for Chris's departure, and the hate resulted in Rachel deleting her Instagram account on Friday.

The Bachelor producers released a statement earlier this week saying the negativity directed at Rachel is "completely inexcusable" and "totally unacceptable," but Chris has yet to address it.

Matt released a statement last week on Instagram in which he said Chris and Rachael's racist actions have been "devastating" and "heartbreaking."

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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