Chris Harrison officially leaves The Bachelor after 19 years

The long-time host of The Bachelor and its spinoffs, Chris Harrison, will not be returning to Bachelor Nation. 

The TV personality and his team have reportedly been in talks with WBTV and ABC over the past few days negotiating the terms of his exit, first reported by Deadline. According to the outlet, "Harrison will receive a rose of his own in the form of mid-range eight-figure payoff and promise to keep his mouth shut."

While neither party has made an official announcement yet, the news comes right after the season 17 premiere of The Bachelorette. Supposedly, the premiere was Chris's deadline for final negotiations regarding his exit from the franchise.

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Who will replace Chris Harrison as The Bachelor host?

Bachelor Nation has already been recruiting new hosts. David Spade will be the new celebrity host of Bachelor in Paradise, joining a lineup of guest hosts that have still yet to be announced. This season's Bachelorette is Katie Thurston—a bank marketing manager previously seen on season 25 of The Bachelor. Former contestants and fan-favorites, Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe, have been tasked with guiding Katie on her Bachelorette journey. 

Will there be a new Chris Harrison? We're not sure yet. Before Chris permanently left the show, the franchise had been testing out a slew of different hosts. Now that he's exiting the show for good, the hunt for a permanent replacement has begun. 

Who was Chris Harrison before The Bachelor?

It may not surprise you, but before The Bachelor, Chris was a reporter and host on television—except it had nothing to do with dating. His previous experience was actually in sports. The star was originally a sports reporter for KWTV in Oklahoma City from 1993 until 1999. It was then that he made an unexpected career move to horse racing, according to a 2015 article by Bustle. 

While it's strange to think of Chris reporting on horses, he only spent a year in that position until he got his first hosting gig on the HGTV show Designer's Challenge. He officially received his "big break" in 2001 when ABC offered him the role as host on The Bachelor, from there he made history helping singles find their true love for over a decade.

Chris Harrison made his mark on Bachelor Nation for 19 years, but after a long run with the popular dating show, the public and show's creators could not excuse his past remarks defending Rachael Kirkconnell's racism. As the show works to become more inclusive and diverse, it's time for Chris to say goodbye as he receives his final rose and exits the show for good.