STOP! Spoilers below on season 25 of The Bachelor.
The Bachelor has named Emmanuel Acho as the host for the upcoming After the Final Rose special.
The show’s official Twitter account confirmed the news shortly after it was revealed by Reality Steve.
IT’S OFFICIAL: I’ve accepted the Rose & am honored to be hosting the @bachelorabc After the Final Rose this year.
It’s been a pivotal season & this episode will be one of the most storied shows in its history. Empathy is needed and change is coming. See y’all then! 🌹 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/eWBXT6Kv6J
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) February 27, 2021
“IT’S OFFICIAL: I’ve accepted the Rose & am honored to be hosting [The Bachelor] After the Final Rose this year,” tweeted Acho. “It’s been a pivotal season & this episode will be one of the most storied shows in its history. Empathy is needed and change is coming. See y’all then!”
The author of Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man is stepping into the role typically held by Chris Harrison for its historic season with its first Black Bachelor, Matt James. The longtime host stepped down after admittedly “excusing historical racism” in an Extra interview with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay.
In the interview, Harrison was accused of steamrolling the franchise’s first Black lead as he called for fans to provide embattled contestant Rachael Kirkconnell with “grace” as she faced multiple accusations of racism.
When Lindsay questioned him about recently surfaced photos of Kirkconnell at an “Old South” antebellum-themed party from 2018, he questioned, “Is it a good look in 2018, or is it not a good look in 2021? Because there’s a big difference.” She responded, “It’s not a good look ever.”
Kirkconnell has since apologized and recently spoken up in support of Lindsay after the Bachelor Happy Hour host disabled her Instagram over harassing messages.
After the Final Rose will be Kirkconnell’s first chance to publicly address everything, having all previous statements released on social media. Referring to his appointment as “life changing,” Acho revealed he loves “being a bridge for reconciliation. Our world is disconnected & divided, my goal is to unify.”
Reality Steve reported the special will be filmed on Monday. It is unclear if Acho will continue to host when production begins on The Bachelorette.
Acho was Lindsay’s Pick for Host
When asked who should take over as host during a recent People interview, Lindsay revealed she and her husband Bryan Abasolo picked Acho.
“He’s very outspoken about racial injustice, for social justice, and has pretty much been the person who said, ‘I can have these uncomfortable conversations, and people trust it.’ Who better to lead it? [He’s] someone who’s not involved with the franchise, no ties, no bias – I think it’d be great,” she told the outlet.
The Extra correspondent touched on his best-selling book which Acho described as one “that answers all the racial questions you’ve been too afraid to ask.”
Abasolo chimed in, “I echo those sentiments. I think Emmanuel Acho would be the perfect person to have those uncomfortable conversations with the contestants, with Matt at the end of the day, and I think it would really be a positive step forward.”
Acho Will Speak With James and Kirkconnell for the First Time Since Their Split
Acho will be the first to speak with James and Kirkconnell following their split, with Reality Steve previously reporting she won though the couple did not get engaged.
“Not that Matt’s statement wasn’t pretty clear itself, but I can confirm that Matt and Rachael have broken up,” Reality Steve tweeted.
The statement he was referring to was James’ Instagram response to Kirkconnell and Harrison’s controversies. He wrote in part, “The reality is that I’m learning about these situations in real time, and it has been devastating and heartbreaking to put it bluntly.”
In the statement, he called out the franchise for “falling short” of addressing racism and spoke of reevaluating his time on the show.
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