The 'Bachelor' franchise host is breaking down Crawley's recent tweets.
Clare Crawley seemingly shaded contestant Matt James on Twitter last week -- so will he still appear on her season of The Bachelorette?
In an interview with ET's Lauren Zima, host Chris Harrison addressed the recent drama between the pair, and said it's "up to Matt" whether to come back as a contestant when Crawley's season finally starts filming.
"As far as I know, [he'll still be a contestant]. I mean, I have not heard anything different," Harrison added. "I mean, I don't know if he wants to do this after quarantine, who knows? But as far as I know, yes."
Crawley made headlines when she tweeted a message seemingly aimed at James and other men who might not be there for the right reasons. "If you are doing interviews and creating Cameo accounts before you are even on my season... you are in it for the wrong reasons... #dontwasteyourtime," she wrote on April 25. "Respect the opportunity you’ve been given. Respect the rules. Respect me. @BacheloretteABC."
James notably had created a Cameo account -- though fans quickly came to his defense, saying he was on the platform for a good cause. He also seemingly responded to Crawley's tweets, reiterating on his Instagram Story that earnings from his Cameo were being donated to The Robin Hood Foundation, a charity organization that helps fight poverty in New York City.
"First of all, everyone relax about the whole charity thing. Clare's not against charity, she's not against Matt doing charity. That's fantastic and Matt, good on you for doing something during this quarantine that's positive," Harrison told ET. "But with that said, she's not specifically talking about Matt, she's just saying she's living under a certain set of guidelines and rules because she's the Bachelorette. She's kind of already in our family, and she's been respecting that."
"These guys aren't living under those guidelines, because they're not really part of our thing yet. And so they're out living their life, and they're kind of using having been picked to be on The Bachelorette as a bit of a bouncing point... so I think she's just like, 'Look, I wish everybody would respect the rules. We all play by the same rules, so when you come in, there is a sense of innocence and naivety and we can actually got through this,'" he continued.
Harrison assured fans that Crawley wasn't "calling anybody in particular out." "She's not mad at Matt, and it's all good. And she's not mad at anybody doing things for charity first of all, don't get mad at Clare," he said.
James is notably best friends with Bachelorette alum Tyler Cameron. While Harrison has yet to get to know James, he said he "seems like a nice guy." "I think I did see something where he said, 'I'm really excited to meet Clare,' and I'm like, 'Super, that's all we want.'"
Thirty-two men were announced to be in the running for Crawley's heart on March 11, just days before production on The Bachelorette was set to kick off at the Bachelor mansion. By March 13, just as Crawley was getting ready to meet her men for the first time, Warner Bros. -- and other studios -- revealed that all its projects had been put on hold due to coronavirus concerns. The cast of The Bachelorette was released from production -- and now with no specific start date set, the show has begun recasting for Crawley's season.
The Sacramento-based hairstylist confessed to Harrison that she "totally" jumped online and checked out some of the guys she was supposed to be meeting. And while producers are now back at work trying to plan out Crawley's season, for now, fans have another Bachelor show to look forward to this summer.
The Bachelor: The Most Unforgettable -- Ever! will air for 10 episodes starting on Monday, June 8, looking back at some of the most iconic and unforgettable moments in Bachelor -- and television -- history. Harrison will revisit some of the franchise's most memorable moments and catch up with fan-favorite alumni.
"The quarantine has definitely spurred this thing on, and [Bachelor creator] Mike Fliess and I started talking immediately and thought, 'What could we do? Everybody wants content and then there was this clamoring for old seasons of The Bachelor,'" he said. "A lot of people missed some huge, pivotal seasons, so let's go back... [and] make it fun and interesting and very different."
The Bachelor: The Most Unforgettable -- Ever! premieres Monday, June 8 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart currently airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. See more in the video below.
RELATED CONTENT:
