Chris Harrison Deleted All His Old IGs After He Left His 'Bach' Hosting Gig

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The Golden Bachelor, Gerry Turner, and his fiancé, Theresa Nist, are getting married in front of the entire world in a live special (NDB!) in just two weeks. The lovebirds got engaged during the Golden Bachelor finale on November 30, adding another televised wedding to the Bachelor franchise history.

And while all eyes will be on the couple, the big event might have folks wondering where former host Chris Harrison is now. After all, Chris, who left the franchise in June 2021 after two decades of hosting The Bachelor, Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, The Bachelor Winter Games, officiated the wedding of eight couples from various Bach Nation franchise shows, according to People.

Before the former host’s exit, he announced he was “stepping aside for a period of time” after defending past racist actions by Bachelor winner Rachael Kirkconnell. He was replaced on Katie Thurston’s season of The Bachelorette with former Bachelorettes Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe. Now, Chris' official replacement, Jesse Palmer, has taken the reins full-time.

Yep, Bachelor Nation has moved right along with Jesse as the new host, and fans are busy gearing up for a new season of The Bachelor with Joey Graziadei, premiering at the end of January 2024, as well as the Golden Wedding on January 4.

But where does that leave Chris Harrison?

Here’s everything to know about his whereabouts and where life has taken the former Bachelor host.

Where is Chris Harrison now?

Chris laid low for a while after confirming he was leaving the franchise back in 2021.

On June 8, 2021, he confirmed the news that his Bachelor hosting journey had come to an end, writing in a since-deleted Instagram post: "I’ve had a truly incredible run as host of The Bachelor franchise and now I’m excited to start a new chapter. 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."

Before that, he had also shared a message of support for Colton Underwood after the former Bachelor publicly revealed that he was gay, and another to honor his mom for Mother’s Day.

But since then, Chris appears to have wiped his IG account clean. The first post from October of 2021 is from after his departure from The Bachelor world. And it’s a shot of him proposing to his girlfriend, Lauren Zima.

“I love you @laurenzima The next chapter starts now!” he wrote.

BTW, Chris initially hired a high-profile lawyer to represent him after stepping back from the franchise, according to Us Weekly.

He started a podcast.

In 2023, Chris announced the launch of his new podcast, The Most Dramatic Ever with Chris Harrison. In an Instagram post, he explained his new venture, "I’m very excited to announce my new partnership with iHeartRadio launching a podcast network. More importantly, I’m excited to connect with all of you once again. I love you all, and have missed you very much. It’s time we talk!”

In the first episode, he explained his exit from Bachelor Nation for the first time, and shared that he was heartbroken. “I was gutted. I was embarrassed. I was mad at myself.”

“I was disappointed in myself. The last thing in the world I ever wanted to do was be an agent of anything negative—whether it had to do with race or anything.”

Chris added that he lost 20 pounds because he couldn’t eat and felt sick to his stomach. “I was scared to death,” he admitted. “Mentally and physically I deteriorated pretty bad.”

He got married.

In November of 2023, Chris married Lauren Zima. He shared sweet pictures of their wedding day on his Instagram. “We’re married❤️ Let the journey begin …” he captioned the post.

The newlyweds held an intimate wedding in Napa with 40 of their closest friends and family. Lauren shared an adorable video of their special day with her Instagram followers.

“A few magic moments from our ceremony in Napa,” she wrote in the caption before saying that it was “a beyond beautiful weekend we will never forget and are so grateful for ❤️ we kept it quiet for two weeks ahead our big wedding party in Austin! New episode of @themostdramaticpodever is up on our ceremony and vows. We cried so much! Thank you all for your love and support!”

Who has taken Chris Harrison's role?

Before his official departure, multiple guest hosts subbed in for Chris while he was absent from the show. For the "After the Final Rose" episode in 2021, and then for season 17 of The Bachelorette, celebrities like comedian David Spade, Tituss Burgess, Lance Bass, and Lil Jon all took a turn hosting.

During Katie’s season of The Bachelorette, two co-hosts (and former Bachelorette leads) Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe took over. Kaitlyn later appeared on the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast to talk about their role, saying they acted more as mentors than hosts.

"I think people want to see love, happy relationships—relatable things, which this season is full of relatable things," Kaitlyn said. "I think people will really enjoy this little… a refresh of being the support system of having two women there."

Kaitlyn said she and Tayshia kept saying things like, “'It would have been so nice to have this when we were the Bachelorette, to have women who have been in our shoes before come in and be there.’” But Kaitlyn largely referred to herself as a “mentor and support system” for Katie vs. a host.

Now, Jesse Palmer is the host for all The Bachelor shows. ICYDK, Jesse used to play professional football before starting a career as a sportscaster. Oh, and he was a super popular contestant on season 5 of The Bachelor, per Hollywood Life.

Will Chris return to The Bachelor?

You heard it straight from the source, Chris is not returning to The Bachelor. Deadline had the scoop on Chris' departure before his Instagram announcement.

Chris received a “mid-range eight-figure payoff” (read: millions) when he left the show and had to "promise to keep his mouth shut," the publication reported. Both ABC, which airs The Bachelor franchise and Chris exchanged “the usual platitudes” but “there is certainly no romance in the air behind the scenes,” Deadline says.

Representatives for Chris had also been in “increasingly intense negotiations” with Warner Brothers Television, which produces the Bachelor, and ABC, per Deadline.

Chris did an interview with Good Morning America in March 2021, and admitted that he made “a mistake” in defending Rachael’s racially insensitive actions.

"I am an imperfect man. I made a mistake and I own that,” he said. Chris also said that he’s planning a comeback. "I plan to be back and I want to be back," he said. "This interview is not the finish line. There is much more work to be done and I am excited to be part of that change."

Chris said that he’s “committed” to making “progress” for himself and the franchise and has been working with a race educator and scholars. "I am not a victim here," he said. "I made a mistake and I own that. Racism, oppression, these are big, dynamic problems and they take serious work. And I am committed to that work."

Chris addressed the rumors of a possible return to the franchise on his podcast in February 2023, saying, “never say never,” according to TV Insider.

The conversation began after he mentioned reports that had surfaced claiming that ABC was looking into the idea of having Chris back as the host for the Bachelor shows since ratings were dropping.

“Everybody can see the numbers, we know what’s happening, and you think there’s something that could change that and fix that? Of course, you’re going to have that conversation. You would be crazy not to have that conversation,” he explained in the podcast.

Why did Chris leave The Bachelorette and The Bachelor anyway?

During Matt James’ season of The Bachelor, racially-insensitive photos were released that showed frontrunner (and Matt's now-girlfriend) Rachael Kirkconnell at an antebellum-themed ball in college and appropriating native cultures in more recent costumes.

During an Extra interview with former Bachelorette star Rachel Lindsay, Chris defended Rachael’s past racist actions. “Would this girl, at, I don’t know how old she would have been back then, have thought, 'You know, historically, this mansion stood for this. Guys it’s not really that woke that we’re here,'" he said. Chris also used the term "woke police,” which he said is holding people to impossible standards.

There was immediate backlash after the interview, and Chris released a statement apologizing for his comments.

He followed that up days later to announce that he would be “stepping aside” from the franchise for an unspecified period of time.

Rachael later publicly apologized on Instagram and again on the After the Final Rose ceremony.

“At one point, I didn't recognize how offensive and racist my actions were, but that doesn't excuse them. My age or when it happened does not excuse anything. They are not acceptable or okay in any sense. I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist,” she wrote on Instagram.

By May 2021, Rachael and Matt got back together and are still looking oh so cozy.

Only time will tell if Chris gets back together with the Bachelor franchise.

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