Emily Maynard is not a near shoo-in to serve as the star of The Bachelorette's next edition despite recent reports, according to host Chris Harrison.
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"Rumors of Emily being the Bachelorette are greatly exaggerated," Harrison said during a Tuesday appearance on Access Hollywood Live.
However, Harrison admitted that the idea of casting the former fifteenth-season The Bachelor bachelorette -- who recently confirmed her split with Bachelor Brad Womack -- as the star of The Bachelorette's eighth edition has been discussed.
"It's obviously been bantered about. We're not idiots, we talked about it, of course, but it hadn't even been broached to her. It is way too soon," he said. "They just broke up and they've barely even broken up."
In addition, Harrison also noted that fact that The Bachelorette's eighth season won't film until early 2012 and air after next year's broadcast of the sixteenth edition of The Bachelor also makes any talk of Maynard's casting premature.
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"As far as TV goes, we don't go into production on The Bachelorette for six more months. We would never pigeonhole ourselves -- this early," he said.
Last week, Us Weekly had reported Maynard -- who discussed her breakup with Womack in an interview broadcast on this week's seventh-season The Bachelorette episode -- was near a "done deal" to serve as the reality dating show's next star.
"She hasn't officially signed on yet, but it looks like a done deal," a source told the magazine.
However, the report had contradicted comments Maynard had made during a recent People interview about her split with Womack.
"Right now my main focus is being a mom. The last thing on my mind is to do this all over again," she told People about the possibility of starring on The Bachelorette in a cover story published in the magazine's July 11 issue.
About The Author: Steven Rogers