After over 20 years, the creator of The Bachelor, Mike Fleiss, announced his exit from the franchise. The studio and Fleiss’s personal representation confirmed his departure last week with a tearful statement, stating that he will be succeeded by former showrunners Claire Freeland and Jason Ehrlich, and executive producer Bennett Graebner. However, following his announcement, reports surfaced stating that his exit was caused by an investigation over workplace misconduct. Now, Fleiss has released a statement addressing the allegations.
This week, both Variety and Deadline reported that the Bachelor creator decided to depart the ABC reality franchise after an internal investigation was conducted following allegations of racist behavior and verbal abuse.
According to Deadline, Fleiss decided to exit the franchise after speaking with Warner Bros. following the review, though he was not formally fired. Details of the review have been kept under wraps; however, sources at Variety state that multiple employees complained to human resources about Fleiss’s behavior. The investigation was conducted by an outside party and involved conversations with current producers and former staffers.
Allegedly, the investigation found that multiple producers equated Fleiss’s behavior to “bullying” and claimed that he was resistant to increasing diversity on the show and would often “lash out” at staffers who suggested otherwise.
In a statement obtained by the two outlets, Fleiss addressed these allegations. “I had no idea back in 2002 that we were building a pop culture juggernaut. It was a crazy idea then and sure as hell continues to roll — just look at every network and streamer that has ripped us off,” he began.
“Since its premiere 21 years ago, times have certainly changed and I’d have to say we didn’t keep up with the pace of those changes,” Fleiss continued. “I am proud of the work we’ve done over the past five years to make the show substantially more diverse, but I do believe I could have done more.”
The Bachelor creator then expressed hope that the franchise “will continue to move in the right direction.” He denied tensions between himself and other staffers, claiming to have hosted many staff weddings at his home. Fleiss said he received a “number of teary messages” following the announcement of his exit.
“I’m pretty sure I had more good days than bad, lifted more spirits than hurt feelings and leave the franchise in good hands, with more friends than foe,” he concluded.
The Bachelor has long faced criticism about its lack of racial diversity, which reached new heights in 2021 when longtime host Chris Harrison exited the franchise after defending a white contestant for attending a plantation-themed event. The show has also been criticized for its lack of diversity among contestants and leading stars.
In 2017, the franchise welcomed its first person of color in a leading role, Rachel Lindsay, on The Bachelorette Season 13. Later, she stated that she “wanted the franchise to be better” and has a “love-hate relationship” with her experience. Four years later, Matt James was named the first Black man to lead The Bachelor.
In other news, Fleiss was on a controversial streak in 2019 when he was accused of attacking his pregnant wife in their home after allegedly demanding she get an abortion, and when he told Kelly Ripa that his show “pays her salary” after she dubbed the dating franchise “creepy.”
Upon announcing his exit last week, Fleiss said, “I want to thank WBTV and ABC for 21 extraordinary years. They’ve found the perfect creative team for me to entrust The Bachelor franchise and keep this lightening in a bottle bold and moving forward. Let the journey continue.”
Reports suggest that Fleiss will have no involvement with the show moving forward; however, he will continue to be credited as the creator.
