Chris Harrison Says He Is Not Leaving The Bachelor: 'I Plan to Be Back'

Chris Harrison does not plan on exiting The Bachelor franchise.

With two weeks remaining on the veteran series, we already knew that Harrison was stepping away from the After the Final Rose special, but his future beyond that was very much in doubt.

Until now.

"I plan to be back and I want to be back. This interview is not the finish line," Harrison told Michael Strahan on ABC's Good Morning America.

"There is much more work to be done and I am excited to be a part of that change."

Strahan questioned what those changes on the franchise would look like.

"His apology is his apology, but it felt like I got nothing more than a surface response on any of this," Strahan said following the interview.

"Obviously, he is the man who clearly wants to stay on the show, but only time will tell if there is any meaning behind his words."

In February, photos of Rachael Kirkconnell, a current contestant on the series, surfaced online, showing the star attending a 2018 Antebellum party.

The photos caused uproar, and the scandal intensified when Harrison defended the star in an interview for Extra with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay.

"Well, the picture was from 2018 at an Old South antebellum party ... that's not a good look," Lindsay said, to which Harrison replied:

"Well, Rachel, is it a good look in 2018 or is it not a good look in 2021? Because there's a big difference."

Harrison swiftly apologized for "not listening" to Lindsay during the Extra interview and for "speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism."

Just a few days later, Harrison announced his break from the franchise.

"I have spent the last few days listening to the pain my words have caused, and I am deeply remorseful.

"My ignorance did damage to my friends, colleagues and strangers alike. I have no one to blame but myself for what I said and the way I spoke. I set standards for myself, and have not met them.

"I feel that with every fiber in my being."

"To the Black community, to the BIPOC community: I am so sorry.

"My words were harmful. I am listening, and I truly apologize for my ignorance and pain it caused you."

“It was a mistake,” Harrison said during the interview.

"I made a mistake. I am an imperfect man. I made a mistake. And I own that.”

The extensive GMA interview was pre-recorded and Harrison revealed that he was working with a race educator and strategist, along with faith leaders and scholars like Georgetown University sociology professor Dr. Michael Eric Dyson.

“Dr. Dyson often talks to me about ‘council, not cancel,'” he explained.

“That is full accountability: Understanding what you didn’t understand, owning that, learning from that… Seeking council, often in the community that you hurt and learning from them, listening to them, gaining experience [and] knowledge and moving forward.”

What are your thoughts on the interview?

Is Harrison the right person to lead the franchise?

Hit the comments.

Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.