The Bachelor's Matt James Responds To The Chris Harrison Controversy

The Bachelor has spoken. As reported by Cosmopolitan, Matt James has finally broken his silence regarding host Chris Harrison's decision to step down from his position with the franchise. As you may recall, Chris found himself in hot water following an interview with Bachelor Nation alum Rachel Lindsay in which he defended contestant — and one of Matt's final four leading ladies — Rachael Kirkconnell after damaging photos surfaced of the woman attending an "antebellum plantation-themed ball" in 2018, per The Sun. 

Some accused the television personality of being dismissive during the Extra interview with Rachel "We all need to have a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion. Because I have seen some stuff online — this judge, jury, executioner thing where people are just tearing this girl's life apart and diving into, like, her parents, her parents' voting record," Harrison said (per US Weekly). "I haven't heard Rachael speak on this yet. Until I actually hear this woman have a chance to speak, who am I to say any of this?" he added.

But what did Matt have to say about Chris' abrupt exit amidst the scandal? And where does that leave him and contestant Rachael? Keep reading after the jump to find out. 

Bachelor Matt James took to Instagram to convey his thoughts following Bachelor franchise host Chris Harrison's decision to temporarily resign from his position. Matt acknowledged that the past few weeks had been particularly "challenging" for him and referred to the photos of contestant Rachael Kirkconnell and Chris' interview with Rachel Lindsay as "disappointing." He also took the entire Bachelor franchise to task for "falling short for years" when it comes to addressing a "much larger issue." 

In regards to Chris specifically, Matt said: "Chris's failure to receive and understand the emotional labor that my friend Rachel Lindsay was taking on by graciously and patiently explaining the racist history of the Antebellum South, a painful history that every American should understand intimately, was troubling and painful to watch."

"This moment has sparked critical conversations and reporting, raised important questions, and resulted in inspiring displays of solidarity from The Bachelor nation," Matt added. "It has also pushed me to reevaluate and process what my experience on The Bachelor represents, not just for me, but for all the contestants of color, especially the Black contestants of this season and seasons past, and for you, the viewers at home."

He eventually wrapped the lengthy post stating that he hopes the controversy "results in real and institutional change for the better."