It’s like the Berlin Wall coming down. Chris Harrison and Kaitlyn Bristowe are speaking to each other again, following nearly two years of silence.
Kaitlyn spoke out on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast about being “ghosted” by the former host. Chris was put on hiatus from his long-term gig in February 2021. He was officially fired the following June. Kaitlyn and Tayshia Adams were announced as co-hosts of Season 17 of The Bachelorette. According to Page Six, that was the moment when her previously friendly relationship with Chris “went down the toilet.”
After reading about Kaitlyn’s feelings over the loss of their friendship and listening to her podcast, Chris realized the Season 11 Bachelorette “was sad that she lost . . . our friendship. And so instead of getting mad, or even disappointed, which I’m not, I was saddened that a friend of mine was mourning the loss of our friendship,” he said, per Us Weekly.
In an effort to patch things up, Chris invited Kaitlyn to join him on his show, The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever with Chris Harrison. Before the Canadian citizen joined him, Chris mentioned that he and Kaitlyn had “texted several times over the last week,” but this was the first time they were actually going to talk face-to-face.
Chris recalled the Season 29 Dancing With the Stars champion being interviewed during the fallout following his defense of then-Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell. The controversy subsequently led to his termination.
“I called you that morning and we talked . . . and I supported you,” Chris prefaced their conversation. ” And [I] said, ‘Look, I totally understand. Do what you got to do . . . this doesn’t affect us.’”
But then shortly afterwards, Kaitlyn and Tayshia were named as co-hosts/mentors for Season 17 of The Bachelorette. Chris admitted that they hadn’t talked after that, even though Kaitlyn texted him after getting the job. Kaitlyn said on the podcast that she texted Chris “10 times” with no response in March 2021. But the former Bachelor host claimed, “Seven of [the messages] were just that day.”
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Chris insisted that he wasn’t intentionally ghosting his friend. “[I]t had nothing — and I mean, nothing — to do with you and Tayshia hosting the show. It had to do with the fact that I was going through something extraordinary . . . And I don’t mean this in a condescending way, [but] it had nothing to do with you or Tayshia,” he explained.
Chris added that “at that time,” he “needed people” in his life that were “unconditionally loving and caring” and reaching out solely to check in on him and his family.
Kaitlyn and Tayshia hosted Seasons 17 and 18 of The Bachelorette under the billing of “Special Guests” before Jesse Palmer was announced as the permanent host.
“You were set up to fail,” Chris told Kaitlyn, regarding her position as co-host. “That was never going to succeed . . . There’s not room for two people [in that job].” He continued, “There’s not room for two emotions in that mental space that you’re taking over, and so that was just never going to work . . . I knew how awkward and tough that situation was going to be.”
Kailtyn noted that while she and Tayshia got along, having two hosts changed the feel of the job. Rather than being a kind of somber sounding board for the lead of the show (as Chris had been), the two women quickly became giggly and playful. They also joked with the Bachelorette. Viewers noticed and didn’t appreciate the change.
“It didn’t feel professional to have two [hosts], and then it kind of made us feel silly and goofy with each other, where we didn’t take it as serious[ly] as one person would have,” Kaitlyn agreed. “There really isn’t enough room for two people to be in that position.”
Chris added, “To have two women hosting The Bachelorette — so now you really have three women — that’s a lot in that space. I don’t know how you’re set up to succeed there.”
TELL US – DID YOU LIKE KAITLYN AND TAYSHIA AS CO-HOSTS ON THE BACHELORETTE? DID YOU THINK THEY WERE TOO GIGGLY? DO YOU MISS CHRIS HARRISON? HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT JESSE PALMER AS THE NEW HOST?
[Photo Credit: Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images]
