There may be changes coming to the Bachelor franchise in the very near future, according to Jason Tartick.
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“I am friends with producers, and I am hearing that [fans’] feedback is being heard loud and clear,” the Bachelorette alum, 32, exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, March 11, while discussing his new partnership with Natrol. “Implementation is being worked on at the fullest extent.”
Tartick agreed with viewers that The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, which have only had three Black leads in nearly two decades, need to “continue to change” and “be better” by having more diversity and inclusivity.
“I think there’s a lot to be improved on,” he told Us. “I don’t know that there’s one thing that the whole show needs to do a better job at. I think there’s a lot of things the show needs to do a better job at. But what I think we’re starting to see from the show is change — the right change. And I think there’s still going to be learning points every day.”
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Season 25 of The Bachelor, which premiered in January, was supposed to be a step in the right direction for the ABC reality dating series with Matt James as the first Black male lead. However, the season quickly descended into chaos off screen after front-runner Rachael Kirkconnell’s past racially insensitive social media posts resurfaced. The controversy ramped up in February when longtime host Chris Harrison defended the graphic designer, 24, during an Extra interview with Rachel Lindsay, the first Black Bachelorette. Kirkconnell and Harrison, 49, have both since apologized multiple times, and he temporarily stepped aside so that former NFL player Emmanuel Acho could host the upcoming After the Final Rose special.
“This is a historic season. This was supposed to be just such an incredible journey to watch,” Tartick told Us. “And there’s been so many distractions outside of the season, and [there’s a] necessity to bring accountability and a light to those.”
With Harrison’s future on the franchise now up in the air, the banker (and the rest of Bachelor Nation) is waiting with bated breath to see what happens.
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“It’ll be interesting to see what the show does in regard to hosting,” Tartick said. “And I know in some of the shows internationally there aren’t a host. So, it’ll be interesting to see how the show reacts to this and what comes next with who will host, how it will be hosted and even if there is a host.”
With the big finale right around the corner, the former reality star, who is dating season 11 Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe, is looking forward to a good night’s rest.
“Using Natrol, it’s been awesome,” he told Us of the brand’s melatonin tablets and gummies. “You wake up feeling restored, like a million bucks. It’s a complete game changer.”
The Bachelor season 25 finale airs on ABC Monday, March 15, at 8 p.m. ET.
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