After a controversial few weeks following an interview with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay in which he "perpetuated racism," Chris Harrison will return as the Bachelor host, he shared in a new interview with Good Morning America host Michael Strahan. "I plan to be back and I want to be back," Harrison said. "And I think this franchise can be an important beacon of change. I know that change is felt, not just by me, but by many others. And we are excited and willing to do the work to show that progress."

In February, the longtime host of the dating reality show defended current contestant and frontrunner, Rachael Kirkconnell, whose past social media posts showed her attending an "Old South" plantation-themed party in 2018. "We all need to have a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion," Harrison said about the criticism Kirkconnell was facing at the time. "Again, this judge, jury, executioner thing where people are just tearing this girl’s life apart … Until I actually hear this woman have a chance to speak … I saw a picture of her at a sorority party five years ago... that’s it," he told Lindsay, a correspondent for Extra, and the first and only Black Bachelorette the franchise has ever had.

Following the response to Harrison's interview, he revealed on Instagram that he would be "stepping aside" from the franchise for the time being (specifically, the "After the Final Rose" special of Matt James' season). He vowed to "do better" and educated himself during his time away.