NEWSDr. Phil Believes Axed 'Bachelor' Host Chris Harrison Was Treated 'Unfairly': 'He Deserves a Second Chance'
Dr. Phil McGraw is coming to Chris Harrison's defense.
During the former psychologist's Wednesday, March 20, appearance on NewsNation's Cuomo, he explained why his new company Merit Street Media didn't hesitate to sign a deal with the axed Bachelor host to star in a new dating series and a morning show.
Dr. Phil believes Chris Harrison shouldn't have left the 'Bachelor' franchise.
"Well, first off, I think he is a very talented and wonderful guy," McGraw, 73, noted of Harrison, 52, who exited the series in 2021 after 19 years due to receiving backlash for defending a contestant accused of racist behavior.
"I think he was unfairly treated in his history. And I think that he deserves to be on television," the Dr. Phil star continued.
Harrison left the show in 2021 after receiving backlash for defending a contestant accused of racism.
"I think he's earned that. I think he's a talented guy. And I believe in second chances, and I think he deserves a second chance," he noted. "And I don't think he should have had his first chance taken away from him, but I certainly think he deserves a second chance."
McGraw went on to say that Harrison and his wife, Lauren Zima — who will be his co-host — are a "tremendous addition" to the brand.
Merit Street Media launches in April 2024.
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"I believe that it was my honor to invite Chris Harrison and his wife on Merit Street Media, and the reception that we've gotten by bringing him back on to television and putting him on Merit Street Media has been unbelievably overwhelming," he noted.
Harrison is excited for his April 2 debut and expressed his gratitude for McGraw in a recent interview.
"Call it divine intervention, karma, kismet, whatever it is, the fact that Dr. Phil created this network in my own backyard here in Dallas, it means the world to me to, not only be returning to television, but to be doing it here in a hometown crowd," he shared.
Harrison's wife, Lauren Zima, will be his new co-host.
Two years after Harrison's departure from the franchise, he finally broke his silence and confessed the drama took a serious toll on him.
"I lost 20 pounds. I didn't sleep, I didn't eat," he recalled on his podcast. "It was just one gut-punch after the other, and mentally and physically I deteriorated pretty bad."
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"I was heartbroken. I was gutted. I was embarrassed. I was mad at myself. I was disappointed in myself," he added. "The last thing in the world I ever wanted to do was be an agent of anything negative — whether it had to do with race or anything."
After he left, a couple of former Bachelor Nation stars took turns hosting the show, but later on in 2021, former Bachelor lead Jesse Palmer got the permanent gig.
