Are Charity & Dotun Still Together After The Bachelorette 2023? Their Wedding Plans Revealed
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Has her final rose wilted? Now that the latest season of The Bachelorette is officially over, fans are left with two questions: Are Charity and Dotun still together from The Bachelorette 2023 and where are they now?
The Bachelorette Season 20 lead is Charity Lawson, a 27-year-old child and family therapist from Columbus, Georgia. Charity was a contestant on The Bachelor Season 27 with Zach Shallcross, where she came in fourth place. Charity was announced as the Season 20 Bachelorette at The Bachelor Season 27 “Women Tell All” special in March 2023. “Stop! Is this for real? “No way! Oh my god, I’m gonna cry.” Charity asked host Jesse Palmer when he offered her the opportunity to be the Season 20 Bachelorette. Palmer responded, “Is that a yes? Will you do it?” to which Charity replied, “Absolutely! 100 percent!” She continued, “I’ve waited forever to find the love of my life. It blows my mind that I could meet my person and be engaged and literally have my happily ever after.”
More from StyleCaster
Former Bachelorette Contestant Reveals He's Not Dead After All
Claim to Fame Season 2 Spoilers & Celebrity Relatives: See Who the Cast Is Related To
$7.99+
In an interview on The Jennifer Hudson Show in May 2023, Charity opened up about what she was looking for in a husband. “There are a few traits I definitely know that I need after going through past relationships,” she said. “I need someone who is confident and is sure of what they want, so we’re not playing games. I want someone who is funny. A sense of humor is really important. And I want someone who is authentic. I want someone who is themselves and they don’t feel a need to put on a façade. I want the true, real you. Those are the top three things, I think!”
During an interview with Us Weekly in August 2023, Charity revealed if she was nervous about what her two finalists, Joey and Dotun, would think about her fourth place finalist, Aaron, coming back once her finale aired. “I don’t think I was worried about Joey and Dotun’s reactions. I knew they would be confused. I mean, I was confused, but I think they were both very grounded and solid in where their connection was with me,” Charity said. “Obviously seeing Aaron come back was a surprise — that week was just so many emotions, so much was happening. … I think you hear me say at the end of the hometowns rose ceremony that I wish there was more time.”
Click here to read the full article.
She continued, “And so I’m glad that I did kind of give him that opportunity — give ourselves that opportunity — and it just was, like, a confirming thing that initially I did just make the right choice at that point. [I knew] I had very two solid connections [with Dotun and Joey].”
But back to Charity and Dotun. So are Charity and Dotun still together from The Bachelorette 2023? Read on for what we know about if Charity and Dotun are still together after The Bachelorette Season 20 finale and where their relationship is now. (For which Bachelorette couples are still together through Bachelor Nation history, click here.)
Are Charity and Dotun Still Together From The Bachelorette 2023?
Are Charity and Dotun still together from The Bachelorette 2023? Charity Lawson gave Dotun Olubeko, a 30-year-old integrative medicine specialist from Fresno, California, her final rose in The Bachelorette Season 20 finale on August 21, 2023, where Dotun proposed to Charity and they got engaged.
As of writing this, Charity and Dotun are still together after The Bachelorette 2023. Reality Steve confirmed Charity and Dotun were still together in a blog post in July 2023, in which he revealed that Dotun was Charity’s Bachelorette Season 20 winner. “She got engaged to Dotun in Fiji and they’ve been together ever since,” he wrote. Charity and Dotun also confirmed they were still together during The Bachelorette Season 20 “After the Final Rose” special. “We’ve anticipated this moment. Just to be free and in public, to live lives normally. This is everything,” Charity said. “She continued, You made me feel alive. You made me believe in love again. You made me feel so valued and so seen. I see you as my husband. I see you as my future. I see it so clear and I don’t have any doubts. I love you so much.”
Dotun added, “She’s everything to me.” He also told host Jesse Palmer that he’s “never been so sure” of anything in his life than he was in his relationship with Charity. Charity and Dotun also confirmed at the time that they’ve started wedding planning, but hadn’t chosen a date yet as they “enjoy this season of life.” Charity also called Dotun her “future baby daddy” but confirmed that they weren’t planning on having children any time soon.
She also told People that she saw “signs from the beginning all the way to the end” that directed her to Dotun, who described those signs as “very metaphysical” and “very spiritual.” “For instance, bungee jumping,” Dotun said, referring to his first one-on-one date with Charity. “The weather was tracking with how we were feeling and our emotions at that time: it was raining and pouring and we were both scared. Then we were like, ‘Let’s do this thing.’ The sun peeked out, and then we did it, and there’s a big rainbow. So it’s these little signs that we both were like, it feels like something is telling us that this is a thing. You’re like, ‘There’s no way that that’s coincidence.’”
Before The Bachelorette Season 20 finale aired, People leaked Charity’s Bachelorette winner after the magazine accidentally published a photo of Dotun proposing to Charity at the Final Rose Ceremony. Charity also hinted that Dotun was her Bachelorette 2023 winner in July 2023 when posted an Instagram Story of two drinks and a cantle on top of a table in a dimly lit room, which fans deduced was at the restaurant Dutch Fred’s in New York City, New York, where Charity was doing press for The Bachelorette Season 20. A day later, Dotun also posted an Instagram Story of appetizers at Dutch Fred’s and tagged the restaurant before quickly deleting it, which seemed to hint that he and Charity were together. Reality Steve tweeted a screenshot of Dotun’s post.
Before Reality Steve’s confirmation, a Reddit thread by user @chailatte647 in June 2023 listed clues for both Dotun and Joey as Charity’s Bachelorette winner. The clues for Dotun included Charity’s brother, Nehemiah Lawson, following him on Instagram; Charity following the Instagram account for Mount Hood Railroad where she and Dotun had their first one-on-one; and Charity following the musician Tems, who Dotun was already following. The clues for Joey included Joey’s mother following Nehemiah on Instagram and liking posts that feature Charity; Nehemiah following Joey; and Charity posting and then deleting an Instagram Story of her and Joey on a Barbie-themed Group Date on The Bachelorette Season 20.
For Charity’s engagement, it’s almost certain the ring was designed by Neil Lane, a celebrity jeweler, who has created engagement rings for The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise since 2008. In a 2016 interview with Entertainment Weekly, former host Chris Harrison revealed that Bachelor Nation couples have to stay together for a certain amount of time, otherwise they have to return the free engagement ring to Neil Lane. “There’s some rule, after a certain number of years, you get to keep it anyway,” he said. “But after months… it goes back.”
Lane told StyleCaster in 2016 that he doesn’t know where the rings go, but that he designs them with the hope that the couple to stays together. “I make rings hoping that people stay together forever, but after they get the ring, I don’t have a say in it, and what happens after that, I don’t know,” he said. “Where the ring goes, I have to say, I don’t really know. I just say it goes to ring heaven.”
Where Are Charity and Dotun Now After The Bachelorette 2023?
Where are Charity and Dotun now after The Bachelorette 2023? Charity and Dotun gave an update to their relationship in an interview with People after The Bachelorette Season 20 finale. “We love to be around each other — it’s hard to be apart — so we want to make that happen ASAP. We can’t wait,” Dotun said, adding that he and Charity planned to move in together “as soon as possible.”
Charity also told People that she and Dotun planned to be engaged for a year and a half with the goal of marrying in 2025 or 2026. “We’re not really trying to have a super incredibly 17-year length engagement,” she said. “We obviously came here to find love, and we have successfully done that. So [we’re] super happy to get our lives started.”
Charity also revealed that she and Dotun planned to have two weddings: a traditional Nigerian ceremony and an American ceremony.“I definitely am open to having two weddings,” Charity said. “We’ll see what that looks like. But me and Dotun talk a lot about the Nigerian wedding and if ABC will film that one, so we’ll see!”
As for what they were looking forward to the most as a public couple, Charity and Dotun both admitted they were excited for the “little things.” “It’s the little things. It’s just living life,” Dotun said. “It’s going to be grocery shopping, concerts and hanging out with friends. It’s really basic. We’re looking forward to it all, though. We’ve been doing our best to live lives apart and in hiding. And in everything we do, we’re always like, ‘I wish you were here.’”
Charity continued, “The fact that we don’t have to hide anymore is going to be great. Simple things — going on a walk down the street, going to the grocery store, going to a concert, being able to experience the things that brings us the most joy together — I am super excited about. We don’t care about anything else besides just being together.”
Charity called the time she spent with Dotun since The Bachelorette Season 20 finished “so beautiful. “Our relationship has grown in so many ways,” she said. “I feel like it never truly stops growing. We are so in sync, it’s crazy. We’re so similar.”
Dotun also described his first one-on-one with Charity “huge” for their relationship. “That’s when things were solidified,” he said, adding that he believed his and Charity’s Bachelorette journey “was meant for us.” “By the end of the night after our dinner portion, I had no doubt that I was fully involved with this woman. It brought us so much closer, bonding over the jump. And doing it twice again on our own accord was foreshadowing what type of future and partnership we would have. That’s when I really realized, this is wifey material. And I started acting in that way throughout the rest of the filming.”
Charity also told People that, throughout filming The Bachelorette Season 20, she tried to be “extremely transparent” with Dotun, though she didn’t want to reveal where she was with her other contestants. “I didn’t disclose where I stood with the other guys; I didn’t want to do that, that doesn’t do him any benefit of disclosing that,” she said. “So at hometowns, Dotun was one of the first people that I told I was falling in love with. And then getting to Fiji, that just truly just solidified where I was like, ‘Yeah, this man has to be it.’”
As for their engagement, Charity called Dotun getting down on one knee “truly the best proposal speech ever.” “Once I saw Dotun, I was just at peace and I was so excited,” Charity said. “I was ready to say yes to forever with him.” Dotun, for his part, wasn’t as calm as Charity. “As happy as I was to have the potential, part of you knows that if you don’t get what you want, you’re going to be devastated and that’s going to be a tough thing to deal with,” he said. “You realize, I dropped my life and I took this risk and I found someone that I loved and are they going to choose me?’ I couldn’t speak throughout most of the day. I think I might’ve said, outside of the proposal, 10 words coherently. It was a lot of tears.”
Dotun also called proposal day “the toughest, most emotional day” of the entire season. “It’s one of the weirdest days of my life, for sure, because of the emotions that come with it,” he said. “It’s an extremely emotional proposal out of fear that she doesn’t choose me. But I was so happy that she did.”
Who Is Dotun From The Bachelorette 2023?
Who is Dotun from The Bachelorette 2023? Dotun Olubeko is a 30-year-old from Fresno, California, who now lives in Brooklyn, New York. His Instagram handle is @do.ol_.
Dotun listed his job on The Bachelorette as an “Integrative Medicine Specialist.” According to his Linkedin, Dotun is the owner of DPT Fitness, an health coaching and fitness instruction company, which he founded in March 2020. Dotun also works as a performance guide at the fitness company Lifeforce. Before that, he worked as an athletic partnership director at The BodyBuilding LLC, a freelance sports nutrition consultant, and a student researcher at the Chicago State Department of Graduate Studies. He graduated from California State University, Chicago, with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Sciences with a minor in General Health and Wellness in 2018. He also earned his Master of Science in Functional Medicine and Human Nutrition from University of Western States in April 2022.
“Passionate, humble, and highly knowledgable self-starter specializing in developing personalized evidence-based health & fitness solutions that are restorative, sustainable, and maximize performance to empower individuals with a very high success rate,” his Linkedin biography reads. “Work and experiences revolve around health and performance including clinical, dietary, and lifestyle interventions, fitness instruction, health communication strategies, bio-optimization, and nutritional & biochemical research. Ancillary skills include project management, instructional design, marketing/sales, & business development.”
Read Dotun’s Bachelorette 2023 biography and fun facts ahead:
“Dotun is the full package and is so ready to find his person. Dotun comes from a big Nigerian-American family and moved to the United States as a child. He describes himself as open-minded, full of love and the best listener. The integrative medicine specialist has a zest for life and even once went on a spontaneous 45-day trip around Europe. He’s hoping his future wife has the same love for adventure and excitement for the little things like he does. Charity, get ready for the adventure of a lifetime with Dotun!
Fun Facts:
• Dotun is terrible at movie trivia.
• Dotun would love to be the head of the CIA.
• Dotun loves his air fryer.”
Who Is The Bachelorette 2023, Charity Lawson?
Who is the next Bachelorette for 2023? The season 20 Bachelorette is Charity Lawson, a contestant from The Bachelor season 27 with Zach Shallcross, who came in fourth place after she was eliminated by Zach after their Hometown Date. Charity is the fourth Black Bachelorette in Bachelor Nation history after Rachel Lindsay (season 13); Tayshia Adams (season 16) and Michelle Young (season 18).
Charity was announced as the next Bachelorette for 2023 at The Bachelor season 27 “Women Tell All” special on March 15, 2023. “Stop! Is this for real? “No way! Oh my god, I’m gonna cry.” Charity asked host Jesse Palmer when he offered her the opportunity to be the season 20 Bachelorette. Palmer responded, “Is that a yes? Will you do it?” to which Charity replied, “Absolutely! 100 percent!” She continued, “I’ve waited forever to find the love of my life. It blows my mind that I could meet my person and be engaged and literally have my happily ever after.”
Before Charity was announced as the next Bachelorette for 2023, Zach confirmed his support for Charity as the new lead in an interview with Us Weekly in March 2023. “She knows what she wants. She is so confident, she’s so sweet and, you know, she has a great heart,” Zach said. “She’s someone from the very beginning that—I don’t know what exactly it was—but [she] was just trustworthy. She was someone that I asked to, like, get her take on things and while there was some drama in the house early, she was always someone that I believed in [and] I trusted it too. She’s a very trustworthy person and I think she would absolutely kill it as Bachelorette.”
Palmer also supported Charity as the next Bachelorette. “I think she’d be awesome,” he said, adding that he “totally gets” why so many fans wanted Charity to be the new lead. He continued, “It’s hard because I feel like in past seasons we’ve had an obvious choice, like, two, maybe three [choices]. I feel like this season, there’s five or six that could be tremendous. So I’d love to know who it is and whoever it is, I’m sure it’s going to be an amazing season.”
Aly Jacobs, who came in eighth place The Bachelor season 27, also voted Charity as the next Bachelorette. “I would definitely say Charity. That’s my girl. I think everyone got to see a little taste of how protective some of us are over Charity when we were in Estonia,” Aly told Us Weekly, referring to when Kat Izzo snuck time with Zach before charity’s one-on-one date. “She’s a gem. She’s so cool, calm and collected. She’s very level-headed and I think, she would have just the best love story, something that I would want to tune into. So, definitely Charity.”
Brooklyn Willie, who came in sixth place on The Bachelor season 27, also voiced her support for Charity as the next Bachelorette. “If it can’t be me, then I want it to be Charity,” she said. “Charity has been my best friend through the whole thing. I think she is incredible. She’s very intelligent, she’s beautiful. She knows what she wants. This previous season, she’s just had so many moments taken from her. I want to see her get her moment to the full capacity, the full extent, and just absorb every last minute.”
Cat Wong, who was eliminated in week two on The Bachelor season 27, told Us Weekly, “I would a hundred percent nominate Charity. I think Charity would just be the best thing for this franchise that they need. She’s so in tune with her emotions and she carries her so well in group settings and individually, but also was, like, fun and light-hearted and just is the whole package. And I think that that’s something very refreshing to see — that a beautiful woman can also have all these amazing intellectual qualities too.”
Kylee Russell, who was eliminated in week five on The Bachelor season 27, also confirmed she was Team Charity as the next Bachelorette. “I am Team Charity. And she was my girl from night one,” Kylee told Us Weekly. “I think she’s so deserving. She deserves everything and more this world has to offer. … She’s a little feisty. She is not afraid to go after what she wants. So she has this calm, sweet demeanor and don’t get me wrong, she’s not a mean girl or anything, but she will stand up for what she believes in.”
So who is the Bachelorette for 2023, Charity Lawson? Charity is a 27-year-old from Columbus, Georgia, who now lives in Auburn, Alabama. Her Instagram handle is @charitylawson. “my best kept secret is out.. if you didn’t know, well now you do. 🫶🏾 Tune into the @bachelorabc January 23rd @ 8PM EST,” she captioned an Instagram post of her Bachelor headshot in January 2023, announcing she was on Zach’s season.
Charity listed her job on The Bachelor as a “Child and Family Therapist.” According to her Linkedin, she’s worked as a Child Advocacy Center Therapist at Tri-County CAC since July 2021. Before that, she worked as a Special Education Aide at Muscoee County School District. She graduated from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation and Disability in 2018. She also earned a Master of Education and Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Auburn University in May 2022.
Read Charity’s Bachelor 2023 biography and fun facts ahead:
“It’s easy to see what makes Charity such a great catch! With a smile that lights up the room, a great career and a sweet personality to match, Charity is the total package! The Georgia beauty takes her name as a call to love and care for people and has built her life on that purpose. Charity is a mental health therapist and is extremely passionate about helping people live their best lives. Now, she is ready to receive the love she gives to so many others! Charity hopes her future husband is honest, loyal and shares similar morals. She says she is really excited to meet Zach and thinks the two of them could be a perfect match on paper. Time will tell if they’re also a perfect match in person!
Fun Facts:
• Charity’s all-time favorite movie is ‘The Notebook.’
• Charity wants to move to Walt Disney World one day.
• Charity throws a mean axe.”
Who Is The Next Bachelor For 2024?
Who is the next Bachelor for 2024? The Season 28 Bachelor hasn’t been announced yet. However, Reality Steve reported that Joey Graziadei, a 28-year-old professional tennis player from Koloa, Hawaii, and the runner-up on The Bachelorette Season 20 with Charity Lawson, was most likely to become the next Bachelor. “I know Joey fans won’t be happy, but it is what it is,” Reality Steve wrote about Joey not receiving Charity’s Final Rose. “I’m sure he’s got a great shot for Bachelor, so I guess just hope for that. He seems to have the biggest following of Charity’s men and will be the sentimental favorite once Charity breaks up with him at final rose ceremony. So you’d think he’s got a good shot at it, but who knows.”
Reality Steve also listed reasons that Charity’s other finalists—Dotun Olubeko; Xavier Bonner; and Aaron Bryant—likely won’t become the next Bachelor for 2024. Dotun, a 30-year-old integrative medicine specialist from Fresno, California, is Charity’s Bachelorette winner. Dotun received Charity’s final rose at the Final Rose Ceremony in The Bachelorette Season 20 finale, where he proposed to her and the two got engaged. Charity and Dotun are still together, according to Reality Steve, which means he’s unlikely to become the next Bachelor for 2024.
Xavier Bonner, a 27-year-old biomedical student from Euclid, Ohio, was Charity’s third-place finalist on The Bachelorette Season 20. Charity sent him home during Fantasy Suites due to Xavier’s unreadiness to propose and get engaged, as well as his past history with cheating. Given Xavier’s lack of readiness for an engagement, he’s also unlikely to become the next Bachelor due to the history of Bachelors proposing to their winners at the Final Rose Ceremony.
Aaron Bryant, a 30-year-old software salesman from Katy, Texas, was Charity’s fourth-place finalist on The Bachelorette Season 20. Charity sent him home for the first time during Hometown Dates and a second time during Fantasy Suites when Aaron B. surprised her at the finale and asked to rejoin her season, which she declined. Aaron B. is also unlikely to become the next Bachelor because he’s a contestant on Bachelor in Paradise Season 9, where he ended up with Eliza Isichei, a contestant on The Bachelor Season 16 with Clayton Echard and Bachelor in Paradise Season 8, and the two left the show together, according to Reality Steve.
Reality Steve also tweeted a video of Aaron B. and Eliza in the lobby of the Vidanta Resort in Vallarta Nayarit, where Bachelor in Paradise films, confirming they ended up together. “This was was taken a few days after filming ended in the Vidanta lobby & posted on an IG story that was sent to me. This is Eliza and Aaron B. I don’t know if they’re engaged and Eliza has been back in Germany since filming. But clearly they ended the show together,” Reality Steve tweeted at the time.
Who Is in The Bachelorette 2023 Cast?
Who’s in The Bachelorette 2023 cast? See below for a full list of the 25 contestants on The Bachelorette Season 20.
Aaron Bryant, 29, Katy, Texas — Software Salesman
Aaron Schwartzman, 33, Fremont, California — Firefighter
Adrian Hassan, 33, North Hills, California — Realtor
Brayden Bowers, 24, Murrieta, California — Travel Nurse
Caleb Arthur, 29, Kentwood, Michigan — Resident Physician
Caleb Balgaard, 24, Fenton, Michigan — Pro Wrestler
Chris Spell, 27, White Plains, New York — World Record Jumper
Dotun Olubeko, 30, Fresno, California — Integrative Medicine Specialist
James Pierce, 28, Brownsburg, Indiana — Attorney
Joe Menzia, 32, Ramsey, Minnesota — Tech Operations Director
Joey Graziadei, 27, Koloa, Hawaii — Tennis Pro
John Buresh, 27, Excelsior, Minnesota — Data Scientist
John Henry Spurlock, 30, Virginia Beach, Virginia — Underwater Welder
Josh Young, 28, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania — Harvard Grad Student
Kaleb Kim, 26, Norcross, Georgia — Construction Salesman
Khalid Hassan, 28, Dearborn, Michigan — Tech Recruiter
Michael Barbour, 29, South Holland, Illinois — Yacht Captain
Nicholas “Nic” Barber, 32, Berkeley Heights, New Jersey — HR Executive
Peter Cappio, 33, Armonk, New York — Airline Pilot
Sean McLaughlin, 25, Troy, New York — Software Sales Rep
Spencer Storbeck, 31, Moorpark, California — Medical Sales Director
Tanner Courtad, 30, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — Mortgage Lender
Taylor Pegg, 32, Beavercreek, Ohio — Loan Officer
Warwick Reider, 27, Nashville, Tennessee — Construction Manager
Xavier Bonner, 27, Euclid, Ohio — Biomedical Scientist
Who Is The Bachelorette 2023 Host?
Who is The Bachelorette 2023 host? The Bachelorette Season 20 host is Jesse Palmer, who was the season 5 Bachelor in 2004 and was the youngest Bachelor in Bachelor Nation history at 24 years old. Jesse hosted his first Bachelor franchise show in 2022 with The Bachelor season 26 with Clayton Echard. During The Bachelor season 5 finale, Jesse gave his Final Rose to Jessica Bowlin, but didn’t propose to her. Jesse and Jessica continued to date, but ended their relationship a few weeks after the finale of their Bachelor season aired. In June 2020, Jesse and his girlfriend, Emely Fardo, married in an intimate wedding in New York City. Jesse told Us Weekly in November 2021 that he and Emely planned to marry in Provence, France, before the current health crisis cancelled their wedding date. “We had originally planned a wedding in Provence, France, for summer 2020, which was postponed until summer of 2021 due to the pandemic, but we didn’t want to wait any longer,” he said at the time. “So, we had a small, private and intimate ceremony with close friends who lived in New York City.”
Jesse graduated from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played football for the Florida Gators, in 2001 with a bachelor’s of arts degree in political science and a bachelor’s of science degree in marketing. After graduation, Jesse was drafted by the National Football League to play for the New York Giants. He played with the team for four seasons from 2001 to 2005 as a quarterback. After the New York Giants, Jesse was drafted by the Canadian Football League to play for the Montreal Alouettes. He played with the team until 2005 when he was signed by the San Francisco 49ers. He then resigned with the Montreal Alouettes in 2006 before he retired from football in 2007 to pursue a broadcasting career. Since his broadcasting career started, Jesse has worked with networks like Fox, NFL Network, ESPN, ABC and SEC Network. He’s also guest starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and made guest appearances on shows like Recipe to Riches and Good Morning America, and hosted the Food Network’s Spring Baking Championship and Holiday Baking Championship.
Jesse was announced as The Bachelor season 26 host in September 2021. “For more than 20 years, The Bachelor has brought the world dozens of unforgettable love stories, including at one time, my own,” he said at the time. “Falling in love is one of life’s greatest gifts, and I am humbled by the opportunity to return to the show as host this season to offer the newest Bachelor advice gained from firsthand experience and I am grateful to play a small part in his journey.” The announcement came after Chris Harrison, the former host of Bachelor Nation, confirmed in June 2021 that he had retired as the franchise’s host after 19 years. “I’ve had a truly incredible run as host of The Bachelor franchise and now I’m excited to start a new chapter,” he wrote in an Instagram post at the time. “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.”
Deadline reported at the time that Chris received a mid-range, eight-figure settlement as part of exit plan with ABC, the network that airs the Bachelor franchise, and Warner Bros. Television, the company that produces the Bachelor shows. The magazine also reported that Harrison’s settlement included a nondisclosure agreement. Chris’ decision to retire as Bachelor Nation’s host came after he was slammed for his response to season 25 Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s racism scandal in February 2021. Rachael, the winner of Matt James’ season, faced backlash at the time when photos resurfaced of her at an Old South Antebellum-themed party at Georgia College in 2018. Before the pictures went viral, Rachael was already under controversy after her former high school classmate accused her on TikTok of bullying her and other students for dating Black men. Other TikTok users then exposed Rachael for liking social media photos of her friends in culturally insensitive costumes and with Confederate flags.
Chris came under controversy after he was interviewed about the scandal by season 13 Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay on Extra. During the interview, Chris asked fans to give Rachael “grace” and explained that he didn’t find the Antebellum party photos offensive because they just looked like pictures a college student takes at a party. Harrison also questioned whether the photos would be considered racially insensitive in 2018 when they were taken. After the interview, many fans slammed Harrison and accused him of excusing Rachael’s behavior.
ABC confirmed in March 2021 that Chris wouldn’t host season 17 of The Bachelorette and would be replaced by Tayshia and Kaitlyn. “Chris Harrison will not be hosting the next season of The Bachelorette,” ABC said in a statement at the time. “We support Chris in the work that he is committed to doing. In his absence, former Bachelorettes Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe will support the new Bachelorette through next season. As we continue the dialogue around achieving greater equity and inclusion within The Bachelor franchise, we are dedicated to improving the BIPOC representation of our crew, including among the executive producer ranks. These are important steps in effecting fundamental change so that our franchise is a celebration of love that is reflective of our world.” He officially retired as the Bachelor Nation’s host in June 2021.
The Bachelorette is available to stream on Hulu. Here’s how to watch it for free.
$7.99+
Bachelor Nation by Amy Kaufman
‘Bachelor Nation’ by Amy Kaufman
$15
To get more of an inside scoop, check out Los Angeles Times writer Amy Kaufman’s book, Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America’s Favorite Guilty Pleasure, for a deep dive into the Bachelor franchise. The book uncovers the secrets of Bachelor Nation, from how much the Bachelor and the Bachelorette are paid to the rules contestants have to follow, that producers don’t want fans to know. It’s a must-read for any Bachelor Nation member. “[Kaufman] has interviewed dozens of producers, contestants, and celebrity fans to give readers never-before-told details of the show’s inner workings: what it’s like to be trapped in the mansion ‘bubble’; dark, juicy tales of producer manipulation; and revelations about the alcohol-fueled debauchery that occurs long before the Fantasy Suite,” the publisher’s description reads.
Our mission at StyleCaster is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.
Best of StyleCaster
