Chris Harrison’s Girlfriend Speaks Out After He Steps Aside From the 'Bachelor' Franchise
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Lauren Zima is breaking her silence after her boyfriend, Chris Harrison, announced that he’s “stepping aside for a period of time” from the Bachelor franchise. Lauren is a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight and shared her reaction to the controversy on social media.
“What Chris said was wrong and disappointing,” she wrote in an Instagram Story. “Defending racism can never happen. Accountability comes first, what’s next is learning and growth.”
Chris recently issued an apology statement after defending Rachael Kirkconnell’s racist actions. The controversy began after screenshots surfaced of Rachael at an antebellum-themed plantation party in 2018 that celebrated the old South. Chris received backlash for his comments during an interview with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay and is now ending his hosting duties for an unknown period of time.
“I have spent the last few days listening to the pain my words have caused, and I am deeply remorseful. My ignorance did damage to my friends, colleagues and strangers alike,” he wrote in a lengthy statement shared on Instagram. “I have no one to blame but myself for what I said and the way I spoke.”
Read the rest of the statement below:
“I set standards for myself, and have to meet them. I feel that with every fiber of my being. 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. I invoked the term ‘woke police,’ which is unacceptable. I am ashamed over how uninformed I was. I was so wrong.
“To the Black community, to the BIPOC community: I am so sorry. My words were harmful. I am listening, and I truly apologize for my ignorance and any pain it caused you,” he added. “I want to give my heartfelt thanks to the people from these communities who I’ve had 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.
“The historic season of The Bachelor should not be marred or overshadowed by my mistakes or diminished by my actions. To that end, I have consulted with Warner Bros. and ABC and will be stepping aside for a period of time and will not join for the After the Final Rose special.
“I want to ensure our cast and crew members, to my friends, colleagues and our fans: this is not just a moment, but a commitment to much greater understanding that I will actively make every day. From here I can only try to evolve and be a better man, and I humble myself before all of you. I hope I will again live up to the expectations you all rightfully have for me and the expectations I have for myself.”
Rachael also released a statement apologizing for her past actions. It’s rumored that the statement she wanted to release was rejected by ABC. Reality Steve alleges that she was being pressured by the network. Eventually, she did share an apology post to Instagram.
“While there have been rumors circulating, there have also been truths that have come to light that I need to address. I hear you, and I’m here to say I was wrong,” she began. “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.”
Read the rest of her statement below:
“I am sorry to the communities and individuals that my actions harmed and offended. I am ashamed about my lack of education, but it is no one’s responsibility to educate me. I am learning and will continue to learn how to be antiracist, because it’s important to speak up in the moment and not after you’re called out. If you are a person who doesn’t understand the offense in question, I urge you to learn from my mistakes and encourage you to use them as a teachable moment.
“As for my family, I love them and how they raised me to be my own individual. They have always encouraged me to have my own views, opinions, and beliefs.
“As I was thinking about what I wanted to say, I couldn’t help but think about how sick people must be of reading these kinds of statements; how a person didn’t realize the trauma that their actions would inflict on other people. It must get so exhausting. I want to put my energy towards preventing people from making the same offensive mistakes that I made in the first place, and I hope I can prove this to you moving forward.
“Racial progress and unity are impossible without (white) accountability, and I deserve to be held accountable for my actions. I will never grow unless I recognize what I have done is wrong. I don’t think one apology means that I deserve your forgiveness, but rather I hope I can earn your forgiveness through my future actions.”
Fans have created an entire Change.org petition calling for Chris’s removal as host for the show, but it’s still unknown whether or not Chris will return as the franchise’s host.
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