These 'Bachelor' fans are rejoicing at Chris Harrison's exit

Myah Genung was not particularly surprised when the news broke early Tuesday that Chris Harrison, the longtime host of “The Bachelor,” would be leaving the hit ABC reality show. Genung, who has been a fan of “The Bachelor” since its debut in 2002, was upbeat when she heard about Harrison’s departure, saying the move represents a positive step for the troubled franchise. He didn’t do anything crazy besides saying what he really feels.” The departure comes nearly three months after the conclusion of the latest season of “The Bachelor,” which featured its first Black lead, Matt James. “This is a new moment in time when there is sustained public push for accountability from media companies around racial discrimination and racist representation,” said Pozner, author of “Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth About Guilty Pleasure TV.” “I assume that ABC, Mike Fleiss and ‘The Bachelor’ franchise thought that no one would care that much about racism in the franchise a year later. Media critic Pozner repeated her conclusion that racism has been baked into the DNA of the franchise since its premiere: “Removing Chris Harrison does very little to solve ‘The Bachelor’ racism problem.” Maintaining that Fleiss is at the core of the show’s problems, she compared Harrison to a maître d’ at a restaurant where the real problem is the chef in the kitchen.