Chris Harrison’s Girlfriend Weighs in on Host’s ‘The Bachelor’ Exit

Lauren Zima, the Entertainment Tonight correspondent dating The Bachelor franchise host Chris Harrison, spoke out for the first time on Harrison’s controversial interview with Rachel Lindsey on Saturday. Zima shared Harrison’s decision to step back from the franchise, at least temporarily, and called his comments “wrong and disappointing.” Since the rest of The Bachelor‘s ongoing season has been filmed, Harrison’s absence will first be felt during the live After the Rose special.

“What Chris said was wrong and disappointing,” Zima, 33, wrote in a since-expired Instagram Story post, reports E! News. “Defending racism can never happen. Accountability comes first, what’s next is learning and growth.” She included Harrison’s own post from Saturday, in which he announced his decision to leave the franchise he has hosted since it began. A source told E! News Harrison will still be in the rest of Matt James’ season, as the episodes were filmed late last year. He also appears in the Women Tell All episode, which was also filmed and will air on March 1. “The After the Final Rose special has not yet filmed, and additional details will be shared at a later date,” the source said.

“Hello everyone, I have spent the last few days listening to the pain my words have caused, and I am deeply remorseful,” Harrison wrote on Saturday. “My ignorance did damage to my friends, colleagues, and strangers alike. I have no one to blame but myself for what I said and the way I spoke.” Harrison later wrote that he had not met his own standards. “I feel that with every fiber of my being,” he wrote. “Now, just as I taught my children to stand up, and to own their actions, I will do the same. By excusing historical racism, I defended it.” He also said it was “unacceptable” for him to use the term “woke police” and is “ashamed over how uninformed I was. I was so wrong.”

He went on to apologize to the Black community and the BIPOC community, calling his words “harmful.” He also thanked members of these communities for the “enlightening conversations with over the past few days, and I am so grateful to those who have reached out to help me on my path to anti-racism.” To ensure that the “historic” first Bachelor season with a Black bachelor, Matt James, is not “marred or overshadowed” by his mistakes, Harrison said he spoke with Warner Bros. and ABC, and he decided to step down from the franchise. It is not clear how long he plans to be away.

The wave of controversy around the show began after photos of contestant Rachel Kirkconnell allegedly attending an “Old South” party during college surfaced. There are also unconfirmed claims that she liked social media posts with Confederate flags. Kirkconnell has apologized, but between the controversy and her apology, Harrison spoke with Lindsay on Extra.

During that interview, Lindsay said Kirkconnell attending the party was “not a good look.” Harrison asked, “Is it a good look in 2018 or is it not a good look in 2021?” Lindsay stood firm by her point, though. “I don’t disagree with you,” Harrison said. “You’re 100 percent right in 2021. That was not the case in 2018. And again, I’m not defending Rachael. I just know that, I don’t know, 50 million people did that in 2018? That was a type of party that a lot of people went to. And again, I’m not defending it. I didn’t go to it.”