Spoiler alert! This story contains spoilers about the rumored pick for The Bachelorette Season 20.
Zach Shallcross’ time as The Bachelor’s lead is starting to wind down, with Hometowns just around the corner. But even as viewers watch to see who Shallcross chooses in the end, we’ve all been on the lookout from the beginning for which of the Season 27 cast could get a second shot at love. ABC has reportedly made that decision, offering The Bachelorette Season 20 to one of Shallcross’ contestants. Amidst all of this are the rumors that the network has had discussions about bringing disgraced former host Chris Harrison back to the franchise, and if all the rumors are true, this would just not be the time for that. Let’s discuss.
Who Is Rumored To Be The Next Bachelorette?
The woman (or women) chosen to lead The Bachelorette have always been past contestants from The Bachelor, and they’re usually from the season that immediately precedes their own. For that reason, Bachelor Nation has been discussing all season which of Zach Shallcross’ women they want to see more of. Reality Steve has apparently gotten confirmation about who they’ve offered the position to, as he tweeted:
(SPOILER): Your next “Bachelorette” is going to be…Charity Lawson. Nothing is ever final until ABC officially announces it, but from everything I’m hearing it’s going to be Charity.I would expect this announcement to be made sometime in the next few weeks. pic.twitter.com/2jVnryDbLSMarch 6, 2023
Charity Lawson — who has not yet been eliminated from The Bachelor — is the rumored pick for The Bachelorette Season 20. Reality Steve was sure to qualify his announcement by saying that nothing is ever official until it comes from ABC — and the network has been known to offer the opportunity to multiple people in the past before making a final decision — so this is still just a rumor at this point, however well-substantiated.
The 26-year-old family therapist from Georgia has done a good job of staying out of the pettier drama on The Bachelor, and while fans certainly had their favorite contestants, Charity Lawson seems like a solid choice. I’ll be excited to watch her season … as long as those OTHER rumors don’t turn out to be true.
Now Would Not Be The Time To Bring Back Chris Harrison To TV
The last thing Charity Lawson would need going into her season of The Bachelorette would be the return of Chris Harrison. The former longtime host is back in the public eye, two years after parting ways with ABC amid his racism scandal. His initial episodes of The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever took shots at the franchise and ripped ABC, sharing strong thoughts about the network’s handling of the Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes affair. Despite all that, rumors started circulating that ABC executives had meetings to discuss the possibility of bringing him back.
If those rumors are true — and according to Chris Harrison, it would be “crazy” if they weren’t — that needs to stop now. Harrison reached a multimillion dollar deal with ABC to walk away, after he made comments that “perpetuated racism” in an interview with the franchise’s first Black lead, Rachel Lindsay.
Furthermore this happened in connection to Matt James’ season of The Bachelor, which to this day is the only season of the flagship series to feature a Black lead. (The Bachelorette has done slightly better, as Charity Lawson will presumably be that series’ fourth POC lead.)
If Chris Harrison were to return for Charity Lawson’s season of The Bachelorette, his “redemption” would become the story, stealing all of the thunder from Lawson’s search for love.
Of course this is all speculation and rumors, but with all the attention Harrison’s podcast has gotten as The Bachelorette gears up to start production on a new season, it wouldn’t take the biggest conspiracy theorist to find dots to connect.
Bachelor Nation will continue to wait for an official announcement from ABC naming Charity Lawson the star of The Bachelorette Season 20, and hopefully it will come with confirmation that Jesse Palmer will remain the host. New episodes of The Bachelor air at 8 p.m. ET Mondays on ABC and are available the next day to Hulu subscription holders.
