Emmanuel Acho Shares His True Feelings About Chris Harrison's Potential Return To The Bachelor
Bachelor host Chris Harrison's temporary replacement is weighing in on his potential return to the franchise. During the March 10, 2021 episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho expressed his true feelings about the situation. "Should he return to that role? You have to decide what's in the best interests of Chris Harrison? What's in the best interest of the show and the executive producers, but also, what's in the best interest of the cast?" he questioned. "They're trying to commit to diversity, they had their first Black bachelor, what's in the best interest of all three of those primary parties at play and make the decision that serves the most good," he continued.
Acho was announced as the host for the Bachelor Season 25 After the Final Rose special on Feb. 27, 2021, as Harrison took some time away from The Bachelor. The longtime host decided to step aside from his job to reflect on his words after he defended Season 25 contestant Rachael Kirkconnell for her past racist actions. The controversial moment went down during an interview with the first Black Bachelorette, Rachel Lindsay.
The Bachelor Nation alum was quick to speak out against Harrison to say that they did not condone his words. Meanwhile, many fans understood the issue but were still heartbroken to see Harrison's career with the Bachelor franchise potentially end.
Chris Harrison's potential return to The Bachelor sparks mixed reactions
When the head-turning interview between Rachel Lindsay and Chris Harrison aired in early February 2021, people were quick to call for Rachel herself to replace the longtime host. Meanwhile, others were arguing that the so-called "cancel culture" will not fix anything, and he should be given a chance to understand what he did wrong. "I think we can all agree that #CancelCulture has gone too far.... is @chrisbharrison perfect? No. But we need to give people a chance to learn and grow from their mistakes. I'm sure @TheRachLindsay has been given plenty of second chances," one person wrote, with many sharing similar thoughts.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Acho isn't ready to "cancel" Harrison but hopes to counsel him. "I don't believe in cancel culture. I do believe in accountability," he said on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. "I think right now he is taking accountability for his actions. For every action there is an equal and opposite reacts and that can be a law of Newton or that can just be basic common sense. [Harrison] had an action and he is currently dealing with the reaction from that."
At the time of Acho's interview, ABC was thought to be preparing to film The Bachelorette's 17th season. As of this writing, there has been no word on if Harrison will return for the new season.