Chris Harrison Hires LA Power Lawyer Amid Tension With 'The Bachelor' Producers, Execs: Report

Chris Harrison has hired a power attorney amid the controversy surrounding "The Bachelor" following his decision to step back from the franchise, a report says.

Harrison, 49, has been part of Bachelor Nation from the beginning. He hosted all 25 seasons of "The Bachelor" and all 16 seasons of "The Bachelorette." However, he found himself in hot water after he defended Rachael Kirkconnell against allegations of racism last month.

The aftermath of the controversy saw him stepping aside as the franchise's host, a decision that remains unclear if it is permanent or temporary. But an unnamed friend of Harrison's has now said the TV personality has hired the services of power attorney Bryan Freedman, though it's unclear if any legal actions are being explored.

"Chris has had a spotless record for 20 years … He has always been the good company man, but, after the way he’s been treated by producers and executives over the past couple of weeks, he’s run out of cheeks to turn," Harrison's pal told Page Six Friday.

"Now he’s ready to tell the truth about how things really work over there — and he has plenty of evidence to back him up," the insider continued.

Freedman is the same lawyer who represented Gabrielle Union in her dispute with NBC's "America's Got Talent" last year. She complained of racism and a "toxic environment" on the talent competition show after she had been let go as a judge.

Harrison caused an uproar after he defended Kirkconnell in an interview with former "Bachelorette" star Rachel Lindsay last month. Photos had surfaced of Kirkconnell attending a plantation-themed party in 2018 as a student, and she was also accused of having "liked" racially insensitive social media posts.

Harrison, however, asked fans to give Kirkconnell "a little grace, a little understanding."

The 25 contestants of "The Bachelor" Season 25 then united to denounce Harrison's statement.

"We are deeply disappointed and want to make it clear that we denounce any defense of racism," they said in a statement following the interview. "Any defense of racist behavior denies the lived and continued experiences of BIPOC individuals. These experiences are not to be exploited or tokenized."

Harrison later apologized via Twitter. "To my Bachelor Nation family — I will always own a mistake when I make one, so I am here to extend a sincere apology. I have this incredible platform to speak about love, and yesterday I took a stance on topics about which I should have been better informed," he wrote. "What I now realize I have done is cause harm by wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism, and for that I am so deeply sorry."