There’s no Bachelor couple we love more than Chris Harrison’s net worth and his bank account. Harrison has been the Bachelor franchise’s host since the first episode of The Bachelor aired in 2002. Since then, he’s become the father of Bachelor Nation: He’s went on to host 24 seasons of The Bachelor, 15 seasons of The Bachelorette, six seasons of Bachelor in Paradise and tons of more spinoffs where attractive people cry into his arms.
As the Bachelor franchise’s host for the past two decades, Harrison must have a reason for why he’s been on TV for so long. And while we’re sure he loves many aspects of Bachelor Nation (the love, the drama, how every season just so happens to be the “most dramatic yet”), we have reason to believe that his paycheck is the reason we can’t picture Harrison leaving the Bachelor franchise anytime soon. That said, in 2016, Harrison signed on to host The Bachelor and its spinoffs for five more seasons, which means that, as of 2020, he only has one more Bachelor season before he has to resign a deal with ABC.
“I actually just signed back on not too long ago for five more years,” he told Glamour at the time. “They wanted to do six and I said, ‘Can we just do five?’ That gets me to 20 years on the show and 50 years old.”
Well, we really hope Harrison doesn’t leave our TV screens anytime soon. Find out his net worth ahead.
How Was He Hired as The Bachelor Host?
In a 2017 interview with Variety, Harrison revealed that he never auditioned to be the Bachelor franchise’s host. Instead, he had a few meetings with the show’s execs, including creator Mike Fleiss, who hired him based on his personality. “I never auditioned for this job,” he said. “I really didn’t. I’m not messing with you. I had a meeting. I had a couple meetings, and that’s it. You would think they would care more about this franchise!
A year before, Harrison told Glamour that Fleiss specifically wanted him because he was a Southern “family man” the contestants could relate to. “When I met Mike Fleiss, he told me what they were looking for: a Southern guy, the guy next door, a guy who can be a gentleman, a friend, a confidante—and also host television,” he said. “In the beginning, I was more of a host because I hadn’t earned the respect of the fans and the cast yet. Now, whoever walks on the show, they know what I’ve done and what I’m about.
Image: ABC.
How Much Does He Make on The Bachelor?
In 2011, TV Guide reported that Harrison makes $60,000 per episode as the Bachelor franchise’s host. While the number seems low compared to what stars like Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Seacrest are making on their shows, you have to understand how many episodes of the Bachelor franchise’s shows there really are a year. Let’s take 2019, for example. That year, there were 12 episodes of The Bachelor, 13 episodes of The Bachelor and 13 episodes of Bachelor in Paradise, which means that—if Harrison makes $60K for each of those episodes—his 2019 Bachelor salary would’ve been $2,280,000. Also, it’s likely that Harrison’s Bachelor pay-per-episode has increased since 2011, which means that his yearly salary should be in the several million by now. Celebrity Net Worth reports that his yearly salary is $8 million, which means that he receives around $200,000 per Bachelor episode in 2020. Looking at those ratings, we don’t doubt it.
How Long Will He Host The Bachelor?
As we referenced earlier, Harrison told Glamour in 2016—after season 20 of The Bachelor aired—that he signed on for five more seasons of the series and its spinoffs. That would mean that season 25 is his last season before he signs a new deal—if he does! Does that mean that Harrison will leave The Bachelor forever? He doesn’t plan to, but if he does retire as the host, he wants the job to stay in the family.
“I actually just signed back on not too long ago for five more years. They wanted to do six and I said, ‘Can we just do five?’” he told Glamour at the time. “That gets me to 20 years on the show and 50 years old, and I’m not saying I would want to leave, but I would want to take a second to reassess. My goal is to stay long enough to hand the show over to my daughter. She’s 12, so I need a good nine years so she can get through college. Then she can take over.
What’s His Net Worth?
As for his net worth, Celebrity Net Worth reports that Harrison is worth $16 million. The number makes sense, given his reported 2020 Bachelor salary of $8 million per year. The other $8 million can come from spon con deals, as well as business investments. Along with his TV career, Harrison has also written the 2016 novel, The Perfect Letter, which adds to his worth. So, yeah, the man has money.