Chris Harrison unceremoniously left Bachelor Nation following an interview with alum Rachel Lindsey where he seemingly defended another contestants racist behavior.
The 49-year-old television personality is keeping busy during his unemployment and was spotted hitting the links at a Los Angeles area golf course on Tuesday.
Harrison has been out of work for a month now but during a recent interview with Good Morning America’s Michael Strahan, he announced his plan to return to the Bachelor franchises.
Down time: Chris Harrison is keeping busy during his unemployment after leaving The Bachelor amid a scandal and was spotted hitting the links at a Los Angeles area golf course on Tuesday
Chris looked calm and collected as he was pictured walking back to his car after a round of playing golf wearing grey shorts and a long sleeve grey top.
The host sported some reflective sunglasses and a baseball cap (but no mask) after his recreational time.
This is only the second time Harrison has been seen after stepping aside from the beloved reality dating franchise which made him a household name.
Earlier this week he was seen donning a protective face mask to pick up fresh Dunkin’ Donuts in Los Angeles.
Out and about: Chris looked calm and collected as he was pictured after a round of playing golf wearing grey shorts and a long sleeve grey top – this is the second time he has been spotted since his departure from Bachelor Nation
Chris Harrison abruptly departed The Bachelor mid-season on Feb. 13, where days earlier he had defended one of the contestants, Rachael Kirkconnell, 24, for attending an ‘Old South’ plantation-themed party in 2018.
During an interview with Bachelor Nation’s Rachel Lindsey on Extra, Harrison tried to claim that the three-year-old photo should be seen in the context of the time. Lindsay was Bachelorette’s first black contestant.
Harrison called for ‘a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion’ for Kirkconnell, adding that he thought it was ‘unbelievably alarming’ to watch because ‘people are just tearing this girl’s life apart.’
‘The woke police is out there. And this poor girl Rachael, who has just been thrown to the lions, I don’t know how you are equipped when you have never done this before, to be woke enough, to be eloquent enough, to be ready to handle this,’ he said.
Backstory: Chris Harrison abruptly departed The Bachelor mid-season on Feb. 13, where days earlier he had defended one of the contestants, Rachael Kirkconnell, 24, for attending an ‘Old South’ plantation-themed party in 2018
Harrison implied that Kirkconnell was a victim of ‘cancel culture’. She was also accused of having ‘liked’ photos with Confederate images, and QAnon posts.
The scandal appears to have rocked the reality series with the most recent episode – The Women Tell All – drawing the lowest audience of the season with just 4.5 million viewers.
The average for the season is 5million per episode compared to 6million last season.
Harrison apologized for his comments with a social media post and then again while speaking to Good Morning America’s host Michael Strahan.
Problematic: During an interview, with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay (above), Harrison defended the actions of current Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell, who attended a plantation-themed ball, and said people show show ‘compassion’
‘The woke police is out there. And this poor girl Rachael, who has just been thrown to the lions, I don’t know how you are equipped when you have never done this before, to be woke enough, to be eloquent enough, to be ready to handle this,’ he said of the photos
‘It was a mistake,’ Harrison said. ‘I made a mistake. I am an imperfect man. I made a mistake and I own that.’
After calling himself out several times for his mistake, Harrison intimated that he didn’t plan on leaving Bachelor Nation permanently and would be returning as host.
Strahan was not convinced of Chris’ mea culpa, telling his co-hosts after the interview had concluded: ‘His apology is his apology but it felt like I got nothing more than a surface response – obviously, he’s a man who clearly wants to stay on the show.
Not good enough: Harrison apologized for his comments while speaking to Good Morning America’s host Michael Strahan but mentioned that he planned on returning to Bachelor Nation; his apology didn’t sit well with the morning show host
‘Time will tell if there’s any meaning behind his words.’
The season concludes on March 15, with author and TV personality Emmanuel Acho as the replacement host.
Kirkconnell is one of three women remaining on the show, competing to win the heart of Matt James – the show’s first black Bachelor.
The final rose: Kirkconnell is one of three women remaining on the show, competing to win the heart of Matt James – the show’s first black Bachelor