ABC
The Bachelor producers have been confronted with a troublesome query in regards to the franchise’s historical past of points surrounding race throughout an ABC panel on the Tv Critics Affiliation’s winter press tour.
“Why does it look like The Bachelor has such a tough time coping with racial points? And have you ever realized something from these previous scandals which have led to the departure of Chris Harrison?” Eric Deggans, a reporter from NPR, requested govt producers Bennett Graebner, Jason Erlich and Claire Freeland.
Freeland, who joined the franchise from The Bachelor Canada final 12 months, took on the duty of answering.
“I imply, I can converse to the place we are actually. Our aim is to symbolize the material of the nation, not simply with respect to range and ethnicity, but in addition capability, physique varieties… I feel thus far we’re placing our cash the place our mouth is,” Freeland stated. “So hopefully, audiences are feeling that, as a result of it’s one thing that we’re all the time engaged on. And we’ll proceed to take action as we go ahead.”
Nevertheless, the reporter who requested the query pushed again a bit, arguing that Freeland hadn’t fairly given a solution as to why the present struggles with conversations and portrayals of race, significantly with non-white leads.
The pushback was met with silence from the producers, to which Deggans responded: “I assume we have now our reply.”
Harrison departed the franchise in 2021 after Matt James led the flagship collection as the primary Black Bachelor. When images surfaced of James’ frontrunner Rachael Kirkconnell at an antebellum-themed celebration, Harrison put his foot in his mouth throughout an interview with Rachel Lindsay, The Bachelorette’s first Black lead from Season 13, by suggesting that audiences ought to have “a bit grace, a bit understanding, a bit compassion” for Kirkconnell.
Lindsay was not completely happy, and neither was Bachelor Nation, and as dozens of former contestants flocked to social media to take her facet, requires Harrison’s removing intensified. Kirkconnell posted an apology, as did Harrison. Nevertheless it wasn’t sufficient. In February, simply over a month after the season premiere, Harrison stepped again from the franchise and, by June, he was completely ousted as host.
This isn’t the one controversy the franchise has confronted lately. As Deadline reported final 12 months, the chief producers — who’re a part of a brand new regime after the departure of creator Mike Fleiss — have tried to make use of the previous few seasons as a cautious reset to search out their footing once more.
