Chris Harrison previously announced that he will be leaving the Bachelor franchise after years of hosting the reality TV show.
In its June 28 issue, Life & Style claimed that before Harrison officially quit, he first demanded $25 million from ABC in exchange for his silence.
Before the network agreed, Harrison and ABC went back and forth on the figure. But the former host had the upper hand on the matter.
“Having been with the show since the start, he knows where all the bodies are buried,” the source said.
The insider also claimed that Harrison wasn’t thrilled to learn that former Bachelor contestants Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe replaced him as host of the current and upcoming season of the reality TV show.
So, Harrison decided to hire Bryan Freeman as his lawyer, and he managed to secure a massive payout from the network and the franchise.
“Chris never thought it would come down to this. He really believed he would be returning to the franchise in the future. He feels stabbed in the back. If the network he devoted almost 20 years of his life to wanted him to go quietly, Chris was going to make them pay – big time,” the source said.
Harrison announced his exit from Bachelor weeks ago after he was involved in a huge controversy.
Former contestant Rachel Kirkconnell was accused of racism after she attended a plantation-themed college party in 2018.
Kirkconnell was heavily criticized on social media, and Harrison quickly came to his defense. After doing so, Bachelor Nation urged the host to resign and he did.
However, the tabloid’s claims are obviously unfounded. After all, Fox News recently revealed that Harrison only received $9 million from ABC following his exit.
According to reports, part of the agreement that Harrison signed included releasing a public statement saying that he and the network had an amicable parting of ways.
As of late, it is still unclear who will be replacing Harrison for good. By the looks of it, Adams and Bristowe will serve as temporary replacements.
The former contestants are currently hosting Katie Thurston’s season. And the new season premiered earlier this month.
This week, the cast of The Bachelorette slammed Karl, who is an alleged motivational speaker.
Karl’s competitors immediately noticed that he’s on the show for all the wrong reasons. And they didn’t waste time to out him to Thurston. The latter ultimately decided to send Karl home.