Chris Harrison has broken his silence on the news of Bachelor in Paradise shutting down production due to "allegations of misconduct."
The long-time host of the Bachelor franchise released a lengthy statement, originally to Good Morning America.
"By now no doubt you have heard that we have suspended production on this season's Bachelor in Paradise. I can confirm to you that this is sadly the case. Out of respect to all involved, there's only so much I can and will say at this time. Normally with a situation like this I would not say anything until the incident is fully resolved, but with all the rumors and misinformation being put out there I don't find that to be possible anymore," he said in the statement.
""Let me start by saying the safety and care of the cast and crew of our show is of the utmost importance to us. It is with this thought in mind that we made the decision to suspend filming. An investigation into the situation was started immediately," his statement continued.
The news of Bachelor in Paradise shutting down production came out on Sunday. Filming stopped and contestants were sent home after Warner Bros. opened an internal investigation into a filmed sexual encounter between DeMario Jackson and Corinne Olympios, due to a producer's concern that consent was not able to be given. In his statement, Harrison said Warner Bros. is handling the investigation. They're moving quickly to gather all the facts, and once that's done a clear concise decision can be made about where we go from here," he said.
"There are a lot of competing details in the various press accounts of the incident. And there's a lot of misinformation out there too. We urge everyone to be patient until the investigation is complete. I know in this day and age we want and even expect immediate answers but in this case it's just not possible," Harrison's statement continued. "So again I urge you to please be patient and respect the privacy of the parties involved. I will keep you as informed and up to date as I possibly can. We're sorry for any inconvenience and disappointment this may have caused the cast, the crew and our loyal fans. It is my sincere hope that we can come to a quick resolution on this and get back to work very soon."
Bachelor in Paradise was originally set to return Tuesday, August 4 on ABC.