Chris Harrison’s time on The Bachelor franchise appears to be over.
Just weeks after the host announced he was taking a break from the franchise, and days after he revealed his intention to return, comes a new development.
Reality Steve, who is well-known for dropping details about the franchise ahead of it being announced, has dropped the following bombshell:
The next season of The Bachelorette will have two hosts, but neither of them will be Chris Harrison.
Instead, franchise stars Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe have both been set as co-hosts of The Bachelorette.
“Tayshia Adams & Kaitlyn Bristowe are your new co-hosts for Katie’s Bachelorette season,” reads a tweet on Friday evening from Reality Steve’s Twitter feed.
“Every1 is currently quarantining in New Mexico – Katie, the men, the co-hosts, and production – & filming begins late next week at the Hyatt Tamaya, just outside of Albuquerque, NM.”
The rumor comes just over a week after it was announced that Emmanuel Acho will host The Bachelor’s upcoming After The Final Rose special.
Harrison previously spoke out about his intention to return to the franchise following his defense of Season 25 suitor Rachael Kirkconnell after she was exposed for past racist behavior.
“It was a mistake, I made a mistake,” Harrison said on Good Morning America earlier this month.
“I am an imperfect man, I made a mistake, and I own that.”
Kirkconnell came under fire for old social media posts in which she dressed in Native American attire and attended an antebellum plantation-themed college party in 2018.
She has since called her actions “racist and wrong.”
Harrison hit the headlines when he was interviewed by former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay. In the aforementioned interview, he did not speak out against Kirkconnell.
“I haven’t talked to Rachael about it, we all need to have a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion,” he said to Lindsay last month.
“I have seen some stuff online. Again, this judge, jury, executioner thing where people are just tearing this girl’s life apart … Until I actually hear this woman have a chance to speak, who am I to say any of this.”
“I saw a picture of her at a sorority party five years ago that’s it… My guess? These girls got dressed up and went to a party and had a great time, they were 18 years old.
“Now, does that make it OK? I don’t know Rachel, you tell me. Were we all looking through [that lens] in 2018?”
Harrison issued a statement shortly thereafter following intense backlash.
“While I do not speak for Rachael Kirkconnell, my intentions were simply to ask for grace in offering her an opportunity to speak on her own behalf. What I now realize I have done is cause harm by wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism, and for that I am so deeply sorry,” he said in his own statement.
“I also apologize to my friend Rachel Lindsay for not listening to her better on a topic she has a first-hand understanding of, and humbly thank the members of Bachelor Nation who have reached out to me to hold me accountable. I promise to do better.”
But while it seemed like Harrison was taking some time away, it seemed like he wanted to return for future seasons of the series.
“I plan to be back and I want to be back,” he said on GMA, adding that he is “committed to progress, not just for myself, also for the franchise.”
“This interview is not the finish line,” Harrison concluded.
“There is much more work to be done. “And I am excited to be a part of that change.”
Given that Reality Steve is reporting Tayshia and Kaitlyn are set to co-lead the forthcoming season of The Bachelorette, it’s looking increasingly likely that Harrison’s time on the franchise is over.
Then again, this could be a temporary measure, and Harrison could be announced to return at some point down the line.
Adams first appeared on The Bachelor Season 23, before appearing on Bachelor in Paradise and subsequently replacing Clare Crawley on the most recent season of The Bachelorette.
Bristowe appeared on The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and more recently, Dancing With the Stars.
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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.