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Chris Harrison is a beloved host of The Bachelor for many of the Bachelor nation fans. He has been a host for 19 years since the first season in 2002. Lauren Zima coverage for Entertainment Tonight for shows such as hosting The Bachelor's Roses or Rosé on YouTube. So, when Chris defended a contestant over a racist photo she posted when at a college party which led to him being fired from the show, Lauren went against Chris instead of defending him.
Chris Harrison and Lauren Zima have been together since 2018 and got engaged in October 2021. In the Bachelor franchise, there have been a lot of engagements, some of those couples did lead to marriage. Whereas other couples broke up before they even got to walk down the aisle. For Chris and Lauren, will their engagement lead to wedding bells, or does Chris Harrison feel betrayed by his fiancé Lauren Zima to end their engagement?
Chris Harrison’s Defends Rachael Kirkconnell Over Racist Photo
Rachael Kirkconnell, a contestant, and winner on Matt James’ season of The Bachelor. While the show was being aired it was unknown that Rachael was the inevitable winner. So, when her racist pictures leaked of Rachael at a college party and of her liking, insensitive social media posts, fans, and members of Bachelor Nation, including Matt James were not happy. Matt broke up with Rachael over the controversy and recommended she do research on Black History what is right and wrong, what is racist and what is not.
Chris Harrison is the face of the Bachelor franchise; he had an interview for Extra with Rachel Lindsay (whom was the franchise’s first black Bachelorette). He had the opportunity to face the issue and set the record about the discrimination Rachael faced and how she was in the wrong with posting the photo. Instead, however, Chris defended Rachael telling everyone to have “have a little grace, and a little understanding.” This did not sit well with Rachel and many other people of color within Bachelor Nation.
Rachel Kirkconnell, has since issued an apology this week on Instagram to apologize in multiple posts towards Rachel Lindsay and the Black community for the racism she had against them.
She also took the time to let people know she is going to work at it every day to use the platform she has built for good and encourage everyone to be part of the change, so real change can happen.
As for Chris Harrison, after the back-and-forth argument, he had with Rachel Lindsay regarding whether Rachael was in fact racist. Rachel has since stepped away from anything to do with the Bachelor franchise. Chris Harrison did step away from the franchise and did not host the After The Final Rose. However, instead of letting Chris return to the franchise, the ABC Network fired Chris Harrison and replaced him with Jesse Palmer as the permanent host of The Bachelor, leaving many fans upset.
Lauren Zima Did Not Defend Chris Harrison
As Chris Harrison’s girlfriend at the time, Lauren Zima did anything but defend her man over the controversy. On her Instagram story, Lauren Zima stated “What Chris said was wrong and disappointing. Defending racism can never happen and accountability comes first, what’s next is learning and growth.”
It is very likely Lauren Zima has discussed the situation with Chris Harrison since his interview with Rachel Lindsay. Hopefully, their private discussion is only the beginning and perhaps the pair will learn more about Black History and Chris will come to terms with understanding what he said was wrong. If anything, it is possible Lauren Zima can be a positive influence towards Chris and help him get through it and support Chris, even when they have a disagreement.
Chris Harrison’s Relationship with Lauren Zima
It would not be surprising for Bachelor fans if the former host of the franchise and his long-term girlfriend ended their engagement over the controversy. The fact Lauren Zima took a stance to attempt that her fiancé Chris Harrison said the wrong thing takes a lot of character and beliefs. Chris, on the other hand, may not seem that way. As his girlfriend, she should have defended him despite it having been a mistake to say. Or Chris may see it as Lauren standing up for what is she strongly believes is the right thing to do. After all, it is never okay to poke fun at anyone. Rachael Kirkconnell picture, while she may not have realized it at the time, is of her being a racist and that is straight-up never okay.
Despite the controversial topic, Chris Harrison and Lauren Zima seem to be doing just fine. After all, they did get engaged 5 months after Chris defended Rachael Kirkconnell on Extra and got in the heated debate with Rachel Lindsay. Any differences the couple faced, did not break them apart, if anything, it had brought them closer together as a couple.
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