THE Bachelor bosses are considering cutting Chris Harrison out of the remaining episode the current season amid his racism scandal.
Sources close to the ABC show have alleged that there “have been conversations about somehow cutting Chris Harrison out from some of the prerecorded episodes.”
If they are unable to do so, the insider claimed they may “add a disclaimer at the top of the remaining episodes.”
Speaking to Us Weekly, the source added that “there have been conversations about pushing the Bachelorette back,” in order to give Chris more distance from the scandal.
The next Bachelorette is often announced at the end of The Bachelor – and vice versa – with filming commencing soon after.
The Celeb Report previously revealed that Chris, a producer on the long-running show, had been “iced out” of crisis talks with ABC executives as the host “may never return.”
The longtime face of the series’ chance of returning “grows thinner” as he remains at the center of the franchise’s ongoing racist accusations.
A source exclusively revealed to The Celeb Report that while a decision has not yet been made on whether or not Chris, 49, will come back as host, “things are not looking good for him.”
“He was originally being included in all conversations of how to proceed but has been iced out the past few days as execs figure out how to handle this mess,” an informant revealed.
The insider explained: “As the backlash continues to escalate on an even larger, more mainstream scale, his chances of coming back grow thinner.
“Everyone on production and the network agrees this has been a worst case scenario season, especially given it’s the show’s first-ever Black Bachelor.”
Fans have called for Chris to be fired after making a series of “unacceptable” comments while chatting with former Bachelorette, Rachel Lindsay – the first Black lead in the show’s history.
Chris asked fans to show “compassion” for Rachael Kirkconnell, 24, after resurfaced photos showed her attending an “Old South” plantation party with deep ties to the Confederacy in 2018.
During the 16-minute chat, Chris also continued to speak over the ex Bachelorette and claimed the racism problems were “okay” in 2018 but “not in 2021” – while adding he’s “not the woke police.”
Following protests supporting the Black Lives Matter movement last Summer, ABC announced newcomer Matt James, 28, would be the first Black lead in Bachelor history.
But as the historic season has been overshadowed by the ongoing race scandal, the series is now looking to add more diversity behind the camera.
The Celeb Report revealed that there is a “major power shift happening right now behind the scenes.”
“The show is also hiring more people of color in higher-up positions to help fix what it finally recognizes has been a long-standing problem,” the insider said.
The informant added that things are a “disaster” behind-the-scenes as “no one was prepared” for how massive the backlash would become.
