Chris Harrison‘s career trajectory was dramatically altered when he sat down with former Bachelorette star Rachel Lindsay on Extra February 9th. The Bachelor Nation maestro defended Bachelor winner Rachael Kirkconnell‘s decision to attend a plantation party, essentially ending his tenure ruling Bachelor Nation since 2002 with one interview.
According to a report in Variety, insiders say ABC did not ask him to sit down for the interview, and Lindsay was surprised when he went to the lengths he did to call for empathy for Kirkconnell.
Variety also says that ultimately, Harrison walked away from the job with about $10 million, $9 million from an exit settlement and the remainder coming from contractual fees. (This is the equivalent of two years of work, as he got paid about $5 million a year).