Chris Harrison's 'The Bachelor' Replacement Won't Be Revealed Anytime Soon

With the news that Chris Harrison would be exiting The Bachelor franchise in a permanent capacity after nearly two decades of hosting, people immediately began speculating over who his replacement would be. The current season of The Bachelorette is being co-hosted by alums Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe, and the upcoming season of Bachelor in Paradise is set to have a rotating group of hosts, including comedian David Spade, rapper Lil Jon, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt actor Tituss Burgess, and musician Lance Bass. Fan-favorite former Bachelorette contestant Wells Adams and his Modern Family actress fiancee Sarah Hyland are also expected to make an appearance.

Variety reports that following Harrison's exit and alleged eight-figure payout, they aren't in a particular rush to name his replacement. "While the position is a major slot to fill, the network has the luxury of time and isn't in a major rush, since, according to two well-placed sources, it's likely a permanent host won't be named until the upcoming season of The Bachelor, which goes into production this fall and doesn't premiere until January 2022," a source explained.

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This lack of urgency of course hasn't stopped people from speculating over who will step into the primetime role. People have mentioned former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay, who was deeply involved in the incident that lead to Harrison's exit, or After the Final Rose interim host Emmanuel Acho could step up as the permanent host. According to insiders at ABC, there is no clear frontrunner for the job at this time.

Harrison took a leave of absence from the show after he defended Bachelor contestant Rachel Kirkconnell over attending an "antebellum" themed party and showed a true lack of understanding over why this was problematic behavior when discussing the incident with Lindsay. He confirmed his permanent exit on Instagram on Tuesday. "I've had a truly incredible run as host of The Bachelor franchise and now I'm excited to start a new chapter," Harrison wrote. "I'm so grateful to Bachelor Nation for all of the memories we've made together. While my two-decade journey is wrapping up, the friendships I've made will last a lifetime."