Chris Harrison, the host of The Bachelor, has issued an apology after facing backlash for defending contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s racist behavior.
“To my Bachelor Nation family — I will always own a mistake when I make one, so I am here to extend a sincere apology,” Harrison wrote. “I have this incredible platform to speak about love, and yesterday I took a stance on topics about which I should have been better informed.”
“While I do not speak for Rachel Kirkconnell, my intentions were simply to ask for grace in offering her an opportunity to speak on her own behalf,” he continued. “What I now realize I have done is cause harm by wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism, and for that I am so deeply sorry.”
A TikTok user accused Kirkconnell of bullying her in the past for dating Black men, then just a week later, another user accused Kirkconnell of liking racist photos. Photos pics of Kirkconnell at an Old South plantation-themed party while in college have also surfaced online.
Harrison defended her actions by saying the pics were taken years ago,