Bachelor host Chris Harrison, 49, ‘will not be leaving the franchise’ after announcing a move to Texas with his girlfriend Lauren Zima, 33
The Bachelor host Chris Harrison will not be exiting the franchise after announcing a move to Texas.
The 49-year-old previously announced that he would be building a home in Barton Creek where he would begin a new life with his 33-year-old girlfriend, Entertainment Tonight host Lauren Zima.
Although many speculated that the news implied his exit from the show, multiple sources confirmed that Harrison would continue in his position and that he was partially moving due to a partnership deal with a local brewery, according to TMZ.
Sticking around: Chris Harrison will not be stepping down as the host of The Bachelor franchise after announcing a move to Texas with his girlfriend Lauren Zima; seen in mid December
Speculation began over the Bachelor Nation mainstay when JoJo Fletcher, from the The Bachelorette’s 12th season, hosted The Bachelorette during a time Harrison had to quarantine where the show was filming amid bubble protocols at La Quinta, California’s La Quinta Resort & Club.
Harrison quarantined per protocols for two weeks earlier this year after taking his son to college in Fort Worth at Texas Christian University.
A source told US Weekly in August that Harrison ‘was not happy’ network executives ‘were going to make him quarantine in Palm Springs for two weeks without working’ on the show while Fletcher, 29, filled in.
The source told the outlet that Harrison ‘insisted he simply dropped his son off in his dorm room and left, social distancing the entire time.’
The important things: The show host recently made a trip to the Lone Star state in order to drop his son off at Texas Christian University; he had to quarantine for two weeks after his visit before returning to work
A source told previously told the outlet, ‘The moment he got back, Chris was told he could not set foot back on the set until he went through another 14-day quarantine.
‘The show’s contestants and crew all had to quarantine on the property for 14 days prior to the cameras rolling. But it didn’t dawn on Chris he’d have to do it all over again if he simply left to take his kid to college.’
Harrison dubbed Fletcher ‘a very good friend’ in addressing his absence to ET earlier this month.
‘I did step away,’ Harrison said. ‘And I will just say a very good friend that I reached out to was nice enough to come in and help out just a little bit.’
Starting a new life: The show host is having a home built in Barton Creek for him and the Entertainment Tonight host to live together in
Staying strong: The two have been dating for two years after Zima conducted an interview with the television host
Harrison and Zima began dating in 2018 after she initially interviewed him in March of that year; the two later went public in August.
The Bachelor franchise host was previously married to Gwen Harrison from 1994 until 2012 and the two share two sons.
The new couple have been very vocal about their attraction to one another and regularly share snapshots from their time together on their respective social media outlets.
Harrison and Zima recently spent Christmas together, and the latter shared a picture to her Instagram featuring the two snuggled up together as they relaxed on a boat.
The caption for the post partially read: ‘I love this picture because the light made a little heart at the center of Chris and I. This year has reminded me more than any to be grateful simply for love.’
Happy holidays: Zima posted a photo of the new couple spending time together on Christmas Day