'The Bachelor': Who Is Emmanuel Acho, Chris Harrison's Replacement

Emmanuel Acho was hired to replace Chris Harrison on The Bachelor's After the Final Rose finale special, following Harrison's decision to step away from the franchise. Harrison came at the center of controversy after an Extra interview with former Bachelorette star Rachel Lindsay about contestant Rachel Kirkconnell's own controversy with racist social media activity. Acho, 30, is a new member of The Bachelor family and a former NFL athlete.

On Saturday evening, Acho shared a photo of himself with a rose, along with his own introduction to Bachelor fans. "I've accepted the Rose and am honored to be hosting the [Bachelor] After the Final Rose this year. It's been a pivotal season, and this episode will hopefully be one of the most storied shows in TV history. Empathy is needed and change is coming. Share the news! I'll see y'all then." Acho then listed some of his own achievements, noting he is the author of a book on race and has a master's degree from the University of Texas.

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Acho was born in Dallas to Igbo immigrants and has three siblings. His family has been heavily involved in missionary work in Africa since he was young, and both of his parents are on the board of directors for the Living Hope Christian Ministries. Acho graduated from St. Mark's School of Texas and played linebacker in the NFL. He played with the Browns, Giants, and Eagles before switching careers to broadcasting.

In 2018, he joined ESPN2's college football programming before leaving ESPN to join Fox Sports 1 in June 2020. He co-hosts the show Speak for Yourself with Marcellus Wiley. He is an activist and hosts the weekly web series Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man outside of his broadcasting work. He wrote a 2020 New York Times bestseller with the same title. "A book that answers all the racial questions you've been too afraid to ask. Go read it," he wrote of his book on Sunday.

Acho once dated Insecure actress Yvonne Orji, notes Us Weekly. The two went Instagram official in May 2018 but split in February 2019. Orji announced the split during an episode of the Jesus & Jollof podcast, reports Essense. Since then, Acho has not publicly announced any relationship.

Harrison announced plans to step away from the franchise earlier this month after excusing the racist social media activity Kirkconnell has since apologized for. "By excusing historical racism, I defended it," Harrison wrote in an Instagram statement on Feb. 13. "I invoked the term 'woke police,' which is unacceptable. I am ashamed over how uninformed I was. I was so wrong." There have been rumors that Harrison will not return to the show, although ABC has not announced this yet. The controversy is all going on while The Bachelor is featuring its first Black lead star, Matt James.