Rachel Lindsay is speaking out after Chris Harrison's Bachelor franchise exit.
The 36-year-old former Bachelorettebroke her silence on the TV host's departure, expressing that she was not expecting him to leave the longtime-running hit shows.
"I gotta say, I am [shocked]. I wasn't expecting for it to happen, not after the announcement," Lindsay said on Tuesday's episode of Extra.
Harrison's controversy began when he defended eventual Bachelor winner Rachael Kirkconnell's past racist actions, encouraging people to offer her "grace," and speaking out against the "woke police" during an interview with Lindsay. Harrison was with the franchise for nearly two decades, but stepped away from it in February after he received backlash. Harrison apologized to Lindsay, as well as to those who he offended.
When asked what were the prevailing additional factors to his eventful exit, Lindsay said, "We can only speculate."
"I think several past contestants coming forward and saying they didn't want him to be part of Paradise. I think Katie Thurston, her very last tweet before she went to film her season was that Chris needed to step away," she continued. "I think that, coupled with the interview that happened on this very stage, maybe led to him not coming back."
In March, Harrison told Good Morning America that he planned "to be back and I want to be back." However, a source told ET that Harrison negotiated a mid-eight figure deal to exit the franchise.
"It's been 19 years and if you do watch the show we saw less and less of Chris. Nineteen years is a big accomplishment. Maybe that's the case. We don't know. Maybe they were ready to move on," Lindsay expressed. "Maybe Chris wanted to move on after all this."
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Lindsay said she still accepted Harrison's apology to her, "Last time we sat and talked I said that I accepted Chris' apology and I still stand by that. I do, I think that's the way to move forward."
On Tuesday, after news broke of Harrison's exit, he took to social media to speak out.
"I’ve had a truly incredible run as host of The Bachelor franchise and now I’m excited to start a new chapter," he wrote. "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."
Meanwhile, in a statement to ET on behalf of The Bachelor franchise, Warner Horizon and ABC Entertainment said, "Chris Harrison is stepping aside as host of The Bachelor franchise. We are thankful for his many contributions over the past 20 years and wish him all the best on his new journey."
ET previously reported that negotiations over Harrison's exit had been underway for a while, before they concluded late Monday night.
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Chris Harrison Exits 'Bachelor' Franchise Following Racism Controversy
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