There appears to be trouble in Bachelor Nation.
Appearing as a guest on Tuesday’s new episode of the “Not Skinny But Not Fat” podcast, Kaitlyn Bristowe gave listeners an idea of where things stand between her and Chris Harrison.
In short? Their relationship is non-existent.
In a longer explanation? Well…
“They offered me the position to come in and what the Bachelor franchise said was to mentor Katie [Thurston],” Bristowe said on air, referring to the role she took on after Harrison was sidelined in 2021 by ABC.
“[They said] I wouldn’t be replacing Chris. Then all these articles started coming out, saying, ‘Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe replacing Chris Harrison.’ And so I messaged Chris probably about 10 times without him responding.
“I just want him to know that I thought he was irreplaceable and I didn’t want to step on toes.”
Harrison lost his job after he responded in an insensitive manner to a race-based scandal two years involving contestant Rachael Kirkconnell.
Bristowe and Adams were initially brought in to host The Bachelorette in the wake of this monumental decision, only for Jesse Palmer to eventually be handed the gig full-time.
On his new podcast last month, Harrison addressed the controversy in detail for the first time.
“I was sick to my stomach,” Chris recalled of the fall. “I lost 20 pounds, I didn’t sleep. I didn’t eat.”
For her part, Bristowe said she “felt icky” about speculation that she was swooping in and taking over for Harrison — and then she ran into him at Wells Adams and Sarah Hyland’s wedding in August 2022.
“Then I was like ‘okay, he hates me.’ And we were best friends and now he hates me,” she shared on the podcast.
“And then I saw him at Wells and Sarah’s wedding and I walked him to him and I was like, ‘I miss you,’ and he was like, ‘Well I’ve always been here.’ …
“So yeah, that was tough.”
Harrison hosted the dating franchise for 19 years.
“I’ve had a truly incredible run as host of The Bachelor franchise and now I’m excited to start a new chapter,” Harrison wrote via Instagram in the spring of 2021, adding:
“I’m so grateful to Bachelor Nation for all of the memories we’ve made together.
“While my two-decade journey is wrapping up, the friendships I’ve made will last a lifetime.”
Bristowe said on the podcast that she “balled” her “eyes out” after the duo’s bond “just felt like it went down the toilet,” but added that she’s tried not to take the snub personally
“I don’t think it was actually about me if I can remove my ego. I think he was going through so much in his life. He lost 20 lbs he was depressed,” she explained.
She also noted that Harrison was “probably really crushed” about having to exit the series in such an abrupt way after wanting to “go out on top.”
