A SLEW of former Bachelor stars are calling for Chris Harrison to be permanently fired after he “defended racism”.
Chris, 49, “stepped away” from the franchise after making insensitive comments about contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s attendance at a “racist” plantation-style party in 2018.
Bachelor alum are calling for Chris Harrison to be permanently fired
Chris said at the weekend that he will be leaving The Bachelor for a “period of time”, but did not specify if or when he will return.
Amid the controversy, Bachelor contestants like season 13’s DeMario Jackson and season 20’s Jubilee Sharpe are urging bosses to replace Chris.
“My season was one of the most visible Black seasons as far as the representation by African American males and women,” DeMario told TMZ.
“It just sucked because we had each other but there was nobody we could really relate to because it was an all-white production, all-white cast, all-white show… which is great, but it’s 2021 now.”
Season 13’s DeMario Jackson said Chris should be removed from the franchise
He added: “If they do want to have move forward and have a more Black fan base I would say it all starts within. Like do you really want to have Black fans or do you want to put a Band-Aid over a bullet wound?”
Jubilee, meanwhile, said she felt that producers gave more attention to white contestants during her time on the show.
Other former stars felt that Chris should be allowed to return, but only if he educates himself on racial sensitivity.
Marshana Ritchie from season 12 and Leslie Hughes from season 17 said the host should brush up on Black history and have sensitivity training to get his spot back.
Season 20’s Jubilee Sharpe agreed that the presenter should be replaced
Season 12’s Marshana Ritchie said Chris should take sensitivity training
Last week, Chris said people should show ‘understanding’ towards Rachael
Season 15 favorite Mike Johnson said he wants to see Chris do work in the Black community before coming back.
The alumni join 25 women from Matt James’ season, who rallied together to call out Chris’ “unacceptable” comments.
Chris sparked backlash last week when asked about the controversy surrounding Rachael, while being interviewed by Rachel Lindsay.
Rachael attended an old south antebellum party thrown by the college fraternity, Kappa Alpha – while at Georgia College & State University in 2018.
Rachel Lindsay said Chris ‘needs to understand he was wrong’
Twenty-five women from the current season have called Chris out
She was also alleged to have liked racist social media posts in the past.
One snap that she liked shows two Caucasian women dressed in a hula outfits, posing in front of a Confederate flag.
Chris defended Rachael from trolls, saying: “We all need to have a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion.
“Because I’ve seen some stuff online… again, this ‘judge, jury, executioner’ thing where people are just tearing this girl’s life apart.”
When Rachel said it’s not a “good look” for the contestant, Chris responded: “Is it [not] a good look in 2018? Or is it not a good look in 2021? Because there’s a big difference.”
He added: “The woke police is out there. And this poor girl Rachael, who has just been thrown to the lions.
“I don’t know how you are equipped when you have never done this before, to be woke enough, to be eloquent enough, to be ready to handle this.”
Fans are furious that Rachael has made it to the hometowns episode
Chris apologized on social media after facing a slew of criticism from viewers.
“The historic season of The Bachelor should not be marred or overshadowed by my mistakes or diminished by my actions,” he penned.
“To that end, I have consulted with Warner Bros. and ABC and will be stepping aside for a period of time and will not join for the After the Final Rose special.”
Chris’ girlfriend, Lauren Zima, admitted his behavior was ‘wrong’
<!--googleoff: all-->
<div class="sun-grid-container sun-grid-container--white">
<div class="sun-row ">
<div class="col sun-col-6">
<div class="rail rail--classic rail--trending theme-showbiz" data-slide-count="4" data-slide-count-tablet="4"> <div class="swiper-container">
<div class="rail__header">
<h3 class="rail__title theme__after-color">Most read in Entertainment</h3>
</div>
<div class="swiper-pagination theme__swiper-pagination"></div>
<div class="swiper-wrapper">
