‘Bachelor’ Producers Speechless When Pressed About Franchise’s Racial Issues

Judging from the reports coming from ABC’s panel yesterday at the Television Critics Association winter press tour, it seems you could have heard a pin drop after the producers of The Bachelor were asked about the reality franchise’s racial issues.

Eric Deggans, a media analyst and TV critic for NPR, put the question to Bachelor producers Bennett Graebner, Jason Ehrlich, and Claire Freeland, noting frustrations regarding Rachel Lindsay’s Bachelorette season and Matt James’ Bachelor edition, per Decider. Deggans also mentioned ex-host Chris Harrison’s dramatic exit from the franchise.

“Why does it seem that The Bachelor and The Bachelorette have such a hard time dealing with racial issues?” Deggans asked the producers at Saturday’s panel, per TVLine. “Have you learned anything from these past scandals that led to the departure of Chris Harrison?”

Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Tyler Perry Studios

(For context, Lindsay, pictured above, distanced herself from the Bachelor franchise in a 2021 New York Magazine essay, calling out a toxic fandom and lack of diversity behind and in front of the scenes. She also criticized The Bachelor’s handling of James’ conversation with his estranged dad that year, saying the show perpetuated the stereotype of Black fathers being absentee parents. As for Harrison, he departed the franchise that year after calling for compassion for Bachelor contestant Rachel Kirkconnell after the reveal of photos of her at a 2018 antebellum plantation-themed fraternity party.)

After a lengthy pause, Freeland finally replied to Deggans’ inquiry. “I can speak to where we are now. Our goal is to represent the fabric of the country, not just in terms of diversity and ethnicity, but also ability and body types and representing where people are from in the country as well,” she said, per TVLine. “I think, so far, we’ve been putting our money where our mouth is. This is something that we’re always working on, and we’ll continue to do so moving forward.”

Related

'The Bachelor' Contestant Greer Blitzer Apologizes for Defending Blackface

Deggans, dissatisfied with that response (and calling it a “non-answer” in a subsequent X post), reiterated the question. “Why has The Bachelor struggled to deal with race, particularly when Black people are the star of the show?” he asked.

That time, the producers sat in silence for about 10 seconds, Decider reports.

After the panel, Decider spoke with the trio of producers, and Freeland pointed out that she is a newcomer to the American version of the franchise. “But all I can do is say what we as a team here are committed to doing, and I would hope that the last year reflects that,” she added.

I appreciate noting one producer was around for the incidents I mentioned. But if the new producers don't know the history of the show and have some cogent thoughts on how to avoid a mess that cost the show its host, you have to wonder why they are there in the 1st place. https://t.co/MqKrx1Q4a0

— Eric Deggans at NPR (@Deggans) February 10, 2024

Graebner said, “I was there for Matt James’ season. I was there for Rachel Lindsay’s season. I was also there for Michelle Young’s season, Tayshia Adams’ season, Charity Lawson’s season. I think as stewards of this franchise, which has been such a part of the cultural zeitgeist for over two decades, there’s a tremendous responsibility to have conversations on camera that are difficult and challenging — conversations about race, conversations about class, conversations about gender. We have done that. Have we always done it perfectly? No. We’ve certainly made some mistakes along the way. But moving forward, we’re going to do everything in our power to correct this.”

And Ehrlich said, “Diversity is a huge initiative for all for us moving forward. And I think, while it didn’t seem to appease the gentleman in the room, it was the message that we were saying — that we have strong initiative here to tell all sorts of different stories. We want people to see themselves in the show, and love is universal.”

The Bachelor Season 28, Mondays, 8/7c, ABC

The Bachelorette Season 21, Summer 2024, ABC