Chris Harrison will be addressing his exit from “The Bachelor” in a “Good Morning America” interview airing Thursday, a preview of which was released Wednesday.
Harrison called his defense of Rachael Kirkconnell, a contestant on the current season of “The Bachelor” — anchored by Matt James, the franchise’s first black Bachelor — “a mistake.”
“I made a mistake,” he told “GMA” host Michael Strahan. “I am an imperfect man. I made a mistake and I own that.”
It’s the most recent stop on Harrison’s forgiveness tour since he got into an exchange with Rachel Lindsay — the first black “Bachelorette” — on “Extra,” in which he defended Kirkconnell’s participation in an “Old South” plantation-themed college party in 2018.
Harrison called for “a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion,” saying he thought it was “unbelievably alarming” that “people [were] just tearing this girl’s life apart.”
Using the phrase “woke police” at one point, Harrison responded to Lindsay calling the situation “a bad look,” by saying, “Is it a good look in 2018 or is it not a good look in 2021? Because there’s a big difference.”
“It’s not a good look ever because she’s celebrating the Old South,” Lindsay responded, adding, “If I went to that party, what would I represent at that party?”
Harrison apologized and took a leave from the franchise following the furor after the interview. Former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho has been tapped to host “The Bachelor: After The Final Rose” special following Harrison’s exit.
Meanwhile, Lindsay deleted her Instagram following harassment from fans of the show, a move decried by “Bachelor” producers.