The Bachelor host Chris Harrison stands by his live red carpet interview with Nikki Ferrell despite criticism from fans he was too hard on her.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I found out the day before she was coming," Harrison told TV Guide of Ferrell's appearance at The Bachelor's nineteenth-season premiere.
"I really didn't know until she got up there if she was going to talk to me or not and because... I probably wasn't her favorite person. It meant a lot to me that she'd get up there. I think now she's out of the fog and she sees the light everyone saw a long time ago."
Ferrell was bashed for months after choosing to stay with former Bachelor Juan Pablo Galavis when he arguably treated women poorly during his season and ended up giving her nothing but an "I like you" for the big eighteenth-season finale.
Ferrell had expressed her love for Galavis multiple times without reciprocation, and Harrison indirectly accused Galavis of silencing Ferrell when they appeared together on After the Final Rose.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I got a lot of crap on social media for beating her up and I was like, 'It couldn't have been a softer interview!'" Harrison continued. "I'm privy to information, but none of those details are for me to say. It's her story and Juan Pablo's. If they want to talk about it, great. The goal wasn't to have her come out and trash Juan Pablo."
In fact, Harrison told TV Guide that Ferrell appreciated the time she was given to talk and felt it went well.
"She gave me a hug after and said thanks and that she thought it was fair," the host explained.
The Bachelor's Season 19 premiere was the first time in show history producers opted to air a live red carpet special with numerous celebrities and off-the-cuff interviews. Harrison apparently thrived off that type of atmosphere.
"I want to do it again for sure. I think it went well, but I would like to take the reins a little more and I think a lot of the producers were scared to let go and do a full live production. But I relish in that," he added.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Bachelor airs Monday nights at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski