Chris Harrison believes Nick Viall “wanted” his job as “Bachelor” host after he was ousted from the ABC dating show in 2021.
“Nick wasn’t really strongly against me or said anything, but I think Nick was one of those, among many, who probably saw the blood in the water,“ Harrison, 51, said on his debut episode of “The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever.”
“[He] saw the opportunity of a job that would be really phenomenal,” he added, “and no doubt he wanted that job.”
Harrison – who hosted “The Bachelor” and all of the franchise’s spinoff shows since 2002 – clarified that he and Viall, 42, are on good terms and even exchanged “big hugs” at Sarah Hyland and Wells Adams’ wedding in August 2022.
Page Six has reached out to Viall’s rep for comment.
Harrison noted, however, that in addition to Viall – who starred as the Season 21 “Bachelor – there were plenty of other stars from the franchise who seemingly “used” his exit “for their benefit.”
“It helped them with their 15 minutes of fame,” Harrison said, admitting that he’s “definitely not shocked” by their behavior.
“It’s the people that you would expect. I knew about certain cast members that were calling in. It was hilarious,” he added.
“And the funny thing is, the people that were calling in, I knew had no chance to get the job.”
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Meanwhile, other Bachelor Nation stars – including Sean and Catherine Lowe, Lauren and Arie Luyendyk Jr., Andi Dorfman and Ben Higgins – reached out to Harrison privately and showed their support for him following the controversial exit.
The television personality specifically applauded Adams, 38, as “one of the first” to reach out. However, he told Harrison at the time that he was “staying out of” the drama due to his recurring bartending gig on “Bachelor In Paradise” and future within the franchise.
“I appreciated him because if anybody had sights on the job, it easily was Wells, and deservedly so by the way,” Harrison said. “I thought, to be completely candid, that Wells was going to get the job. I thought it was kind of the easiest call … he’s in the family, everybody loves him, it just seemed like a layup.”
The job ultimately went to Season 5 “Bachelor” lead, Jesse Palmer.
As previously reported, Harrison left the series in June 2021 after hosting the franchise for 19 years.
His departure came after he found himself in hot water for defending Season 25 contestant Rachael Kirkconnell for attending an Antebellum-themed party in college during an interview with Rachel Lindsay.
Harrison apologized shortly after the interview aired but was allegedly “counseled” to stay silent afterwards.
His podcast marks the first time he’s publicly addressed the scandal in detail since it went down nearly two years ago.
