The former host exited the franchise amid a racism controversy over a year ago.
Chris Harrison is revealing his first post-Bachelor endeavor. On Monday, iHeartRadio announced that the 51-year-old TV personality is set to host and executive produce a new podcast, The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever…With Chris Harrison.
In the weekly podcast, Harrison, the longtime host of the Bachelor franchise, will open up like never before as he uses his unparalleled expertise to dig into all things relationships, dating, marriage, love, loss and more.
In the trailer for the podcast, the first episode of which will premiere Jan. 9, Harrison touches on the controversy that led to his exit from the Bachelor franchise in June 2021 after nearly two decades.
"I'm a little nervous. I have not spoken publicly for two years about this. I have a lot of thoughts," he says. "I think about this every day. Truly, every day of my life, I think about this and what I want to say and how important it is that I speak to everyone for the first time."
"It's heavy. It's really heavy," Harrison adds. "We'll see how it goes. We may scrap this whole thing, to be honest. I don't know. I think it'll be cathartic. I'm looking forward to getting this off my shoulders and repairing this, moving forward, and letting everybody hear from me."
The trailer ends with the beginning of the podcast's first episode, in which Harrison says, "Hello, everybody and welcome to The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever. I'm Chris Harrison. I think it's time we talk."
Harrison's controversy began when he defended eventual Bachelor winner Rachael Kirkconnell's past racist actions, for which she later apologized, encouraging people to offer her "grace," and speaking out against the "woke police" during an interview with Rachel Lindsay.
After facing backlash for his comments made during the interview, Harrison apologized for "wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism." Amid ongoing criticism from fans and contestants, Harrison released a second statement, sharing that he would not be hosting the After the Final Rose special for Matt James' season of the show, which was airing at the time.
In an interview with Good Morning America, Harrison categorized his comments as "a mistake."
"I made a mistake. I am an imperfect man. I made a mistake and I own that," he said. "I believe that mistake doesn't reflect who I am or what I stand for. I am committed to the progress, not just for myself, but also for the franchise."
Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams hosted the next two seasons of The Bachelorette, before former Bachelor Jesse Palmer took over franchise-hosting duties.
A source previously told ET that Harrison negotiated a mid-eight figure deal to exit the franchise.
The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever…With Chris Harrison marks Harrison's first podcast and is part of the slate of shows he will executive produce alongside his fiancée, Lauren Zima, and their Next Chapter Productions for iHeartPodcasts.
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