‘The Bachelor’ Host Chris Harrison Steps Down From 'Historic Season' After Racism Scandal

“The Bachelor” host Chris Harrison has chosen to step back from his role in the franchise following his controversial comments defending current contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s racist behavior.

On Saturday, the television personality shared photos of a lengthy statement explaining his departure from Bachelor Nation.

“The historic season of ‘The Bachelor’ should not be marred or overshadowed by my mistakes or diminished by my actions. To that end, I have consulted with Warner Bros. and ABC and will be stepping aside for a period of time and will not join for the ‘After the Final Rose’ special,” he wrote.

“I am dedicated to getting educated on a more profound and productive level than ever before.”

Harrison has been under fire since Tuesday, following an interview on “Extra” with “Bachelorette” alum Rachel Lindsay, who is Black, Variety reports.

During the conversation, he appeared to defend Kirkconnell amid controversial resurfaced social media posts that were seen as racially insensitive.

“By excusing historical racism, I defended it,” Harrison’s statement read. “I invoked the term ‘woke police,’ which is unacceptable. I am ashamed over how uninformed I was. I was so wrong,” he stated.

Harrison went on to apologize for his remarks and revealed he plans to educate himself on racism.

“To the Black community, to the BIPOC community: I am so sorry. My words were harmful. I am listening, and I truly apologize for my ignorance and any pain it caused you,” Harrison added.

“I want to give my heartfelt thanks to the people from these communities who I’ve had enlightening conversations with over the past few days, and I am so grateful to those who have reached out to help me on my path to anti-racism.”

It remains to be seen how long Harrison will be absent from “The Bachelor” franchise and who will replace him for the “After the Final Rose” special.