Chris Harrison is reportedly out of The Bachelor franchise for good following months of speculation about when he would return, if ever.

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Chris, who has hosted The Bachelor franchise since its 2002 premiere, has reached a mid-range eight-figure settlement with ABC to exit The Bachelor franchise permanently, Deadline reported.

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Chris, 49, reportedly agreed to a big payoff just hours after The Bachelorette's seventeenth season starring Katie Thurston premiered on Monday night and featured former The Bachelorette stars Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams filling in for Chris as co-hosts.

Chris' deal was reportedly finalized and loose ends were tied on Tuesday morning after Chris' representatives engaged in intense negotiations with WBTV and Disney-owned ABC over the past several days.

Los Angeles-based, high-profile entertainment litigator Bryan J. Freedman spearheaded Chris' objective and allegedly threatened a heavy lawsuit and to expose The Bachelor franchise's well-kept secrets over the last 20 years unless Chris was satisfactorily compensated.

As The New York Post previously reported in March, Chris was "ready to tell the truth about how things really work"  behind the scenes in The Bachelor franchise and had "plenty of evidence" to back up his revelations.

"Chris has had a spotless record for 20 years... He has always been the good company man, but, after the way he's been treated by producers and executives over the past couple of weeks, he's run out of cheeks to turn," a Chris friend told Page Six at the time.

Chris agreed to remain tight lipped and not air The Bachelor's dirty laundry once he was offered the big settlement, according to Deadline.

Chris, WBTV, and ABC have yet to publicly comment on the results of the settlement.

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The news comes one week after Variety reported Chris will not resume his hosting role for Bachelor in Paradise's upcoming seventh season this summer and the spinoff will instead be hosted by a group of celebrity guests, including actor David Spade, when it premieres Monday, August 16 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.

Several sources told E! News in April 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."

Two separate sources also told Variety last week it's "highly unlikely" Chris will return as the host of Michelle Young's The Bachelorette season airing this fall.

As executives were reportedly weighing their options for a new host recently, a person close to Chris told Variety that his attorney was "outraged" over how the matter was being handled.

Chris announced in February 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 after he made offensive remarks in an early-February Extra interview with The Bachelorette's first Black leading lady, Rachel Lindsay.

In the Extra interview, Chris had defended The Bachelor Season 25 contestant Rachael Kirkconnell's racially-ignorant and racially-insensitive actions in the last several years and adopted a dismissive attitude towards photos of Rachael that resurfaced from an antebellum-plantation themed "Old South" fraternity party at Georgia College & State University in 2018.

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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 subsequently issued three apologies for his offense, two on Instagram and one verbal apology during a March appearance on Good Morning America.

"I am an imperfect man, I made a mistake and I own that. I believe that mistake doesn't reflect who I am or what I stand for," Chris said during the March 4 episode of GMA.

Chris admitted he was "saddened and shocked" at how "insensitive" he behaved in that interview with Rachel. He expressed his deepest apologies and said he didn't speak from the heart and stands against "all forms of racism."

"I am committed to progress, not just for myself, also for the franchise. And 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."

He continued at the time, "I think this franchise can be an important beacon of change. I know that change is felt, not just by me, but by many others. And we are excited and willing to do the work to show that progress. This interview is not the finish line. There is much more work to be done. And I am excited to be a part of that change."

Since the start of Chris' scandal, Bachelor Nation has seemed conflicted over whether his reinstatement would send the right message considering viewers have been pleading for more diversity and racial equality in the franchise for years.

Many The Bachelor viewers had claimed they are boycotting the show over Chris' absence since he has been the face of the franchise for nearly two decades while other viewers believe Chris' departure is a step in the right direction as the franchise attempts to change for the better.

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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