ABC decided not to play ball with Chris Harrison.
The longtime “Bachelor” host was paid $9 million in his exit from the franchise, Variety reported Friday — despite demanding a $25 million payout as Page Six previously reported.
In a new report, Variety revealed Harrison, who left the franchise after defending a former contestant’s past racist actions, was paid roughly $10 million — a combination of a $9 million exit settlement and remaining contractual fees.
A source previously told Page Six that the 49-year-old was ready to spill the dirt if the network didn’t shell out the cash.
Variety also reported that part of the agreement he signed included a public statement about “amicable parting-of-ways.”
A source told Page Six earlier this month, “Chris Harrison’s whole life was ‘The Bachelor,’ and he didn’t want to let go. He still is really sad to leave, and there have been very tough and very heated negotiations going on for weeks.”
Harrison’s exit was announced in June, months after he defended “Bachelor” contestant Rachael Kirkconnell for attending an Antebellum-themed party in college. Though he was quick to apologize, Variety reported that he was unaware of how much “attention his response was receiving, and did not realize just how problematic the television interview would become.”
Less than a week later, he announced he was “stepping away” from his hosting duties on the show. After a swift fallout, ABC named former “Bachelorette” contestants Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams the new hosts for Katie Thurston’s season of the reality show. Page Six broke the news that their popular spinoff “Bachelor in Paradise” would include a revolving door of celebrity hosts throughout the season.
Ahead of his official exit from the series, Harrison hired power attorney Bryan Freeman, Page Six exclusively reported. Freeman also represented Gabrielle Union during her dispute with NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.”
Meanwhile, Kirkconnell apologized for her past behavior and asked for people to stop defending her.
“That’s not our place to tell people what they can and can’t be offended about. That’s wrong. And that’s part of the problem. So please stop saying that I did nothing wrong. That’s not true,” she said.
