‘The Bachelor’ Host Chris Harrison Says He Plans to Return to Franchise in ‘GMA’ Interview

The Bachelor‘s Chris Harrison went on Good Morning America March 4 to discuss his recent controversial comments, and made it clear that despite stepping back from the franchise, he plans on coming back.

“I am an imperfect man. I made a mistake, and I own that,” Harrison told GMA co-host Michael Strahan. “I believe that mistake doesn’t reflect who I am or what I stand for. I am committed to the progress, not just for myself, but also for the franchise.”

During an interview with The Bachelorette‘s first Black lead, Rachel Lindsay, Harrison had defended Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell, who had “liked” racist social media posts and attended an Antebellum-themed party. He later apologized and stated he was taking a hiatus. Emmanuel Acho is filling in for the After the Final Rose special for this season’s The Bachelor, which has its first Black lead, Matt James.

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In the interview, Harrison said that he’s been working with a race educator and strategist, faith leaders, and scholars, including Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, who “often talks to me about council, not cancel, and that is full accountability: understanding what you didn’t understand, owning that, learning from that, seeking council often in the community that you hurt, learning from them, listening, gaining experience [and] knowledge, and moving forward.”

When Strahan asked whether Harrison feels he’s the right person to lead the franchise into the future, he instead addressed his own plans for his participation: “I plan to be back and I want to be back.”

After the interview, Strahan said, “It felt like I got nothing more than a surface response on any of this.”

Watch the video below for the full interview.