THE Bachelor’s Chris Harrison has been branded “the male version of Ellen DeGeneres” by former contestant Josh Seiter, as he claimed the host was “angry” and “rude” to contestants when cameras weren’t rolling.
Chris, 49, has stepped down from The Bachelor franchise after he defended current contestant Rachael Kirkconnell and her past actions, including attending an “Old Plantation” party.
Josh, who appeared on Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season of The Bachelorette in 2015, compared the ABC host to Ellen DeGeneres.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show host came under fire earlier this year for fostering a “toxic” work environment.
Josh, 33, claimed to The Celeb Report: “On set he was not friendly. Contestants would speak to him and he would literally not acknowledge their existence. Many of us said hi to him and tried to talk to him. A few even stuck their hands out to shake his hand and he would literally brush past their extended hands and stare straight past them.
“Just a horrible human being that people think is amazing because he’s on TV. He’s the male version of Ellen.”
Josh continued that his “kind, empathetic, sincere” persona onscreen is “just a character,” as he claimed Chris was, in his experience, “sullen, angry and unnecessarily rude.”
He continued to claim: “On set he refused to talk to any of the contestants with the exception of the bachelorette. He looked angry and annoyed he had to be there and the second the cameras were rolling he’d go into character by smiling and being talkative with the guys and the bachelorette.
“The second a scene was done he’d go back to a resting pissed-off face and literally stomp off set. It was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He didn’t even treat the contestants like they were human beings.”
Josh also described an alleged incident where the former exotic dancer was told to strip when he got out of the limo to meet Kaitlyn.
He alleged: “He tried to ruin my life and career in 2015. The producers came into my hotel room three separate times the day before filming because they wanted me to strip out of the limo and I was refusing.
“They sent in two producers after I refused and finally got me to relent right before I got in the limo. I wanted to lead with my education and law degree side but they essentially said I had to do it.”
Josh claimed Chris said in interviews following the premiere that stripping on the first encounter was “trashy” and “distasteful.”
As The Celeb Report has reported, Rachael sparked outrage when photos resurfaced of her dressed up at a controversial “Old South” bash in 2018.
During an interview with the former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay, Chris asked fans to show “compassion” for the current contestant.
He said: “We all need to have a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion.
He claimed the racism problems were “okay” in 2018, but “not in 2021,” while adding he’s “not the woke police.”
Viewers demanded the longtime host be fired for his comments defending Rachael, who is currently competing to win over Matt James on Season 25 of The Bachelor.
Following backlash from fans and alumni from the show, Chris apologized and announced he was temporarily stepping away from the reality franchise.
It has been reported Rachel, who married winner Bryan Abasolo in 2019, is in talks to host After The Final Rose.
Matt, 29, recently broke his silence on Chris and Rachael’s scandals.
He posted on Instagram: ”The past few weeks have been some of the most challenging of my life, and while there are several episodes left of the season, it is important that I take the time to address the troubling information that has come to light since we wrapped filming, including the incredibly disappointing photos of Rachael Kirkconnell and the interview between Rachel Lindsay and Chris Harrison.
“The reality is that I’m learning about these situations in real time, and it has been devastating and heartbreaking to put it bluntly.
“Chris’s failure to receive and understand the emotional labor that my friend Rachel Lindsay was taking on by graciously and patiently explaining the racist history of the Antebellum South, a painful history that every American should understand intimately, was troubling and painful to watch.
“As Black people and allies immediately knew and understood, it was a clear reflection of a much larger issue that The Bachelor franchise has fallen short of addressing adequately for years.”
Matt concluded: “I will continue to process this experience, and you will hear more from me in the end.
“My greatest prayer is that this is an inflection point that results in real and institutional change for the better.”
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