The Untold Truth Of Chris Harrison
Although it might be hard to believe, Bachelor host Chris Harrison has led the hit show since 2003. That's a lot of rose ceremonies and champagne toasts, people.
Of course, there's more to Harrison than the glitzy Bachelor mansion, whirlwind proposals, and dramatic tell-all reunions. As layered as Harrison is, however, many fans don't know much about his life. One can assume this is because Harrison prefers to keep the focus on the Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants who understandably demand a lot of his time. Although Harrison might enjoy this level of secrecy, people aren't satisfied with the lack of information out there. For instance, fans are extremely curious about what Harrison does when contestants are on dates. Does he hang out in a hotel room all by his lonesome while people find love in a hopeless place? Or what about his personal life — is he dating following his divorce in 2012? Lastly, has he ever beefed with any of the contestants? Given the questionable characters that have graced the series throughout the years, we wouldn't be surprised.
On that note #BachelorNation, buckle up for the untold truth about Chris Harrison. Let's just say this info will be Harrison's favorite adjective — dramatic.
He allegedly crushed on these Bachelor alums
It's really no surprise Chris Harrison has been rumored to date some of the Bachelor contestants. Harrison is single after all, and the women on the show are undoubtedly attractive. It seems like a no-brainer to us. But has Harrison actually dabbled in the Bachelor dating pool? The truth is a bit murky.
Where it concerns season 17 alum AshLee Frazier, there was a casual flirtation there. Frazier admitted to the mutual attraction after fans questioned a tweet Harrison sent out about the two meeting up at the NCAA Final Four tournament in April 2016. "If I can really say anything, we probably did crush on each other," Frazier explained, according to Wet Paint. "Did it ever go anywhere? No." Sadly for Harrison, Frazier went on to marry Aaron Williams in March 2017.
Harrison struck out again when he supposedly attempted to date season 15 contestant Ashley Spivey. Interestingly enough, Spivey took to the Bachelor Reddit forum to dish on the situation. "... [He] was a complete gentleman, paid for the whole meal, and is actually very genuine and fun when you get him in an environment off the show," Spivey claimed. "... I didn't see him again until Ashley and JP's wedding and he seemed kinda upset that I brought a date (who would later become my husband). Actually said to me, 'Well you sure move on fast!'" Aww. We hope Harrison gets a rose one day.
His short-lived feud with Amy Schumer
As personable as Harrison comes across on television, he does rub people the wrong way from time to time. Case in point: In March 2016, comedian Amy Schumer lashed out at Harrison during the airing of the "Women Tell All" episode a la Bachelor Ben Higgin's season. Apparently, Schumer wasn't thrilled that Harrison told one of the contestants from Higgin's season,Jubilee Sharpe, that she was a bit complicated. "I know you can't control how complicated you are," Harrison told Sharpe about her issues connecting with Higgins (via E! Online).
Schumer then took to Twitter to question why being complicated is perceived as a negative by men. "She [Sharpe] is smart and strong and a sergeant in the military. She lost her entire family and you say she must fight off being complicated," Schumer tweeted. "Be less complicated so as to hopefully attract a man. And she shouldn't find value in herself just because a dude liked her. Come on bro," she added.
Harrison was quick to defend himself against Schumer's accusations. "I'm 82% sure I said and supported all these points as well," Harrison responded. Schumer quickly tweeted back: "I'm down to talk about it if you are." The conversation then took a humorous tone — in fact, Harrison joked that he would bring wine to supposed meeting. In typical Schumer fashion, she replied with a funny bit about her love for wine. "I'll bring the I'm drinking all the wine," Schumer wrote to Harrison.
He didn't get along with this Bachelor star
Considering The Bachelor has been on television since 2003, it's no shock that Chris Harrison has butted heads with a few Bachelors. But who is Harrison's least favorite Bachelor of all time? The answer is season 7 Bachelor star Charlie O'Connell, who also happens to be actor Jerry O'Connell's brother.
It turns out Harrison didn't get along with Charlie O'Connell because of their different backgrounds. Harrison elaborated on the tension in a February 2018 appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan. "You're friends with his brother, he comes on here, you know, Jerry O'Connell," Harrison told Kelly Ripa when he was asked about his least favorite Bachelor (via E! Online). "His brother Charlie was our Bachelor. I love Jerry, and I actually love Charlie, but Charlie and I, he was just east coast, me southern kid, it was like oil and water. We just didn't get along." Well, at least Harrison was honest.
He and his ex-wife are best friends
America's hearts went out to Harrison when he announced his divorce from his wife of 18 years, Gwen Jones. "Though we have made this incredibly difficult decision to separate, our love and mutual respect remain, and we look forward to sharing in the lives of our wonderful children," the couple said in a joint 2012 statement about the split, according to People.
Although it might feel like all celebrity couples out there claim to love and respect one another when they breakup, it's true that Harrison and Jones continue to have a deep fondness for one another. "Gwen and I, we've been together for 22 years, married for almost 19," Harrison explained, according to E! News. "So we grew up together and we have so much history, it would be foolish to not be friends ... she will always be my best friend, I hope, and I want her to be happy and she wants me to be happy." How sweet.
But if you ask Harrison whether it would be OK for Jones to be the next Bachelorette, his feelings are mixed. "There's a part of me, the producer side, that knows it would be epic television, good or bad," Harrison admitted, according to GQ. "It could be like the Hindenburg—the greatest disaster ever—but even then that would be great TV."
His life off-camera is pretty perfect
One of the mysteries about Harrison's life centers around his downtime during Bachelor dates. In short, what does Harrison do while his contestants are off finding love in some exotic location? Is Harrison at his hotel ordering Postmates or something? As it turns out, Harrison is living his best life. "I'll tell you, in the Bahamas, where we were last week, there was this beautiful golf course around the resort [so] I played golf," Harrison revealed during an AOL Build interview. "I love to fish, I went bonefishing ... It was on my bucket list to go bonefishing in the Bahamas, I was there, I went bonefishing." Sounds relaxing.
But don't think Harrison isn't grateful for his jet-setting life. "In all seriousness, I didn't grow up with much. I had a phenomenal family, wonderful parents and had a great life, but I never really traveled much outside of Dallas and the state of Texas my entire existence," Harrison added in the interview. "This show has changed my life in so many ways and it has given me the ability to travel around the world and see the world, and so it's never lost on me how blessed I am to have this job." Blessed, indeed.
His weird confrontation with Michael Moore
One of Harrison's strangest feuds involves filmmaker Michael Moore. The beef went down after Harrison discovered a jab Moore made about him in an article about the 2016 general election. "Trump, to his own surprise, ignited the country, especially among people who were the opposite of billionaires," Moore penned about the Republican party's then presidential nominee, Donald Trump, and his supposed love for the limelight, according to Alternet. "... He went straight to #1 in the polls of Republican voters. Up to 30,000 boisterous supporters started showing up to his rallies... Trump fell in love with himself all over again, and he soon forgot his mission to get a good deal for a TV show. A TV show? Are you kidding? That's for losers like Chris Harrison, whoever that is (host of The Bachelorette)." Ouch — talk about a major jab.
Harrison didn't let the burn go unnoticed. "While taking a dump on Trump @MMFlint oddly decides to take a random swipe at me?" Harrison asked his Twitter followers. "Hilarious!" But wait — Harrison didn't stop there. "I want #BachelorNation to let @MmFlint know his obsession with me and #TheBachelor is not only ok it's normal," Harrison joked. Take that, Moore.
He doesn't aspire to be the Bachelor
It's only natural that fans are curious if Harrison will be the Bachelor one day. Think about it: Harrison is experienced with the cameras, he's open to finding love again, and he's already beloved by viewers. It seems like he'd be a slam dunk contestant. The only problem is Harrison has no interest in ever taking on the role. Why, you ask? Sadly, Harrison doesn't think he's attractive enough to be the lead. "Television is a very visual medium, and I know that sounds horrible to say, but I know that at 42, in the eyes of television, I'm old and unattractive," Harrison told The New York Times. "Sure, I can put a suit and tie on, but I have hair on my chest and I don't have a 12-pack. I live a healthy life, but I don't do eight hours in the gym, nor do I want to. And I don't eat 50,000 egg whites."
Although we're not sure we needed the detail about Harrison's hairy chest, we do appreciate his honesty here. Reality television is a tough business, folks.
He's not afraid to throw shade
If you think Harrison is above throwing a little shade, think again. Harrison has lodged jabs at various contestants throughout the years, including past Bachelor leads. Case in point: In May 2018, Harrison took aim at season 22 Bachelor Arie Luyendyk Jr. and his controversial behavior in the season finale. "Even I say, he [Arie] was a knucklehead," Harrison explained in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "He made some really dumb decisions. He didn't perform as perfectly as he probably would've liked."
Harrison also put season 19 Bachelor alum Chris Soules on blast. When Harrison was asked in an interview about which Bachelor star he'd least like his daughter to date, he quickly responded (via Hollywood Life), "Well, probably Chris [Soules]. He's making out with everybody!" Wow, is it shady over here or is it just us?
But Harrison's worst burns were directed at former Bachelorette contestants Dean Unglert and Diggy Moreland. "I learned what an F-boy is," Harrison told ET Online about the guys' dating antics. "I mean, Dean would be up there. Dean or Diggy [Moreland], I guess are the two biggest F-boys." Yikes. That's gotta hurt.
He's not a fan of UnReal
When UnReal — a show loosely based on The Bachelor — premiered in June 2015, many fans wondered what Harrison thought about the series. A former associate producer at the Bachelor (Sarah Gertrude Shapiro) did create UnReal, after all. Not to mention, the character who hosts the fictitious television show UnReal's plot centers around, Ever After, is a bit of a jerk. We imagine Harrison would have some thoughts about this unflattering character that might be inspired by him.
So, what does Harrison think? Unsurprisingly, Harrison is not a fan of UnReal. "Really, the main difference that I've seen is that people watch The Bachelor," Harrison quipped, according to Variety. "It's complete fiction. As much as they would love to jump on our coattails — they were begging for us to talk about it and for people to write about it — at the end of the day, no one is watching. I mean, absolutely nobody is watching that show. Why? It is terrible. It is really terrible." Dang, Harrison. Tell us how you really feel.
Unfortunately for Harrison, UnReal was renewed for season 4 in July 2017. Sorry, pal.
How his kids feel about the show
Sometimes fans forget that Harrison has two kids named Joshua and Taylor. And considering Harrison's children grew up with The Bachelor (literally) it's understandable that people want to know what they think about the show.
In a funny twist, Joshua is the thrilled with the franchise because it gives him an in with the ladies. "[He] couldn't care less about what I do, but now does because the girls he's interested in are interested in the show," Harrison joked, according to People.
As for Taylor, she's a little bit more guarded about the series and how it affects her dad. For instance, Taylor was really upset when Bachelorette contestant Chad Johnson tore into Harrison on an episode of the spin-off, Bachelor in Paradise. "Bad Chad went after Daddy and so that was not cool," Harrison said about Taylor's reaction to the feud, according to People. "She's actually very protective of her dad and she did not like that at all. And I told her, like, 'It's okay ... he means well.'" Cue the awws — it's really sweet that Taylor is so protective of her dad.
He's not a Hollywood type
It's fair to assume that the host of a mega popular television show is deeply engrained in the Hollywood scene. Although this might be true in plenty of cases, Chris Harrison has reiterated throughout the years that he doesn't subscribe to world of celebrity. In fact, Harrison isn't a flashy guy in the slightest. "I'm a down-home conservative guy ... a church-going guy and Mom and Dad and apple pie and the whole thing," Harrison said about his anti-Hollywood lifestyle, according to NPR. "I'm very much not Hollywood...I don't have anyone in my family that is Hollywood. I was the first one of my clan to come out here and venture into this crazy business, and it really was a comedy of errors and my passion of finding it in college that led me into this business and getting me out here in the first place."
To each their own, right? At least Harrison has remained grounded throughout this whole fame thing.