Who will replace Chris Harrison on "The Bachelor"?

After 19 years of leading "The Bachelor" (opens in new tab), "Bachelorette" (opens in new tab), "Bachelor in Paradise" (opens in new tab), "Bachelor Pad" (opens in new tab), and all other "Bachelor" spin-offs Chris Harrison is leaving the franchise. "I am excited to start a new chapter," Harrison wrote on Instagram. (Open in new tab) "My 20-year journey is coming to an end, but the friendships I made will last a lifetime."

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The moderator's departure comes after he announced in February that he was stepping down for a period of time. At the time, Harrison was under fire for his interview with "Extra" correspondent Rachel Lindsay (also the show's first BIPOC lead), in which he called for "kindness," "understanding," and "compassion" toward Bachelor contestant Rachel Kirkconnell (opens in new tab)

"During that conversation, his privilege was on display. He did not give me room to speak and share my point of view. He didn't want to hear it, he just wanted his opinion to be heard," Lindsay said of her conversation with Harrison.

At the time, Harrison conveyed his apology via Instagram (opens in new tab). He wrote: "Now, just as I taught my children to stand up and have their own actions, I will do the same." "By excusing historical racism, I defended it. I brought up the term "woke police," which is unacceptable. I am ashamed of my own uninformedness. I was very wrong."

Deadline's Dominique Patten reports that (opens in new tab) "Harrison will receive his own rose in the form of a mid-eight-figure fee and a promise to keep his mouth shut." Neither ABC nor Harrison has commented on Patten's report.

This season of Bachelor in Paradise will be hosted by former stars Caitlin Bristowe and Tayshia Adams, who will be replaced this summer by a rotating cast of guest comedians. So the big question: who will be the permanent host of "The Bachelor" in the future?

Yes, many former Bachelorettes other than Fletcher are guest hosting at this point, but hear me out. When Harrison stepped down from the Matt James season to send his son off to college, ABC turned to Fletcher first. Fletcher is a fan favorite who has had great success on television from this franchise and is engaged to her last rose nomination, Jordan Rogers. Fletcher has always been one of the most beloved members of the franchise, and her fiancé (who is Aaron Rodgers' younger brother; he is also a member of the franchise) is a fan favorite.

An unlikely choice, given that Acho had stated that he would be the host of After the Final Rose after Matt James' season, it would be surprising if ABC did not appoint him. Acho is a devout Christian and a former football player. The two were catnip to the producers of "The Bachelor," at least as far as contestants are concerned, and they did an excellent job hosting the difficult After the Final Rose. (Opens in new tab.) He also has extensive broadcast experience, both in sports and on his own webcast, Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man.

Yes, that's right. David Spade is a superfan of The Bachelor and made that clear on Instagram (opens in new tab), where he was the first celebrity to agree to help host this season of Bachelor in Paradise. Obviously, Spade has an emotional connection to the show, but since he is currently starring in "Hotel Transylvania: Transformania" and then in an 18-episode series called "The Netflix Afterparty" (opens in new tab), his schedule may not fit (or he may not want to).

Perhaps ABC's number one candidate, but also someone who may not want a long-term job, Lindsay is a former Bachelor who, like Fletcher and Acho, has had a successful second career in broadcasting. She is refreshingly open about the underlying racism of the "Bachelor" franchise, but has also faced an onslaught of racist cyber-bullying from fans of the franchise, noting that her relationship with the franchise is fragile.

"How much more do I want to be involved in this work?"

"How much more of this can I take?"[5] "I can't take it anymore. In a sense, I am contractually bound. But when my contract term is up, so will I. I can't do this anymore," she said in February. (Open in new tab) Still, if the franchise can make lasting structural changes and Lindsay is on board, she will undeniably shine in this role.

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