The Bachelor host Chris Harrison is "stepping aside" temporarily amid racism controversy

People

Harrison apologized on Saturday for a second time for defending Bachelor contestant Rachel Kirkconnell's racist actions, announcing via a lengthy Instagram statement that he will "step aside" for a "period of time" from The Bachelor franchise. That means Harrison won't appear on Matt James' After the Final Rose special. Harrison apologized Wednesday after backlash for his comments defending Kirkconnell that cited the "woke police" during an interview with The Bachelorette alum Rachel Lindsay for Extra. Lindsay said she planned to quit the franchise in response to Harrison's comments. "The historic season of The Bachelor should not be marred or overshadowed by my mistakes or diminished by my actions," Harrison said in his statement. "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." Harrison added: "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. 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."