Chris Harrison Reveals How He and Bachelorette Producers Really Felt About Clare Crawley's Exit

Despite rumors that there has been bad blood between ABC and Clare Crawley, Chris Harrison made it clear that "no one is mad at" her for finding love on The Bachelorette.

By Alyssa Morin Nov 07, 2020 11:35 PMTags
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Chris Harrison is setting the record straight about Clare Crawley's shocking exit from The Bachelorette.

It's no secret the 39-year-old star chose contestant Dale Moss to be her future husband. In episode four of season 16, the former football player expressed he had the same feelings as Clare and ended up getting down on one knee.

Dale proposed to The Bachelorette star, saying, "From the moment I stepped out of the limo, this was special. I know you and... we both felt it immediately. There was absolutely no denying it."

"I know without a shadow of a doubt that you would go to the end of the earth for me and I'm so grateful for that," he continued. "I want to make you happy each and every day so with that being said, Clare, will you marry me?" Her answer? A resounding "Yes."

But before Clare got her fairytale ending, she hinted that her Bachelorette departure was anything but sweet. Last month, she "liked" a tweet that suggested ABC's production team tried to "force" her out.

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However, the longtime host of the dating competition series is putting those rumors to rest. Speaking to Bachelor Nation alums Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti, Chris candidly discussed Clare's exit.

"Clearly her head was not there anymore," Chris explained on The Ben and Ashley I. Almost Famous podcast on Nov. 6. "And clearly she was not even remotely giving anyone else a chance, which is not bad."

Despite speculation, the host made it clear that "no one is mad at Clare" for finding love.

ABC/Craig Sjodin

"Again, I'm not mad at Clare," he shared. "No one is mad at Clare, at least on the show side, the producers. We embraced it. And I sat down with her and said, 'Clare, my only issue is this isn't fair anymore. Let's just figure out what's going on with you and Dale. Let's stop the show.'"

He explained that Clare had full "control" during her one-on-one time with Dale before he popped the big question.

"In unprecedented fashion, we stopped the show and gave her a bizarre, kinda overnight fantasy suite in the middle of the show," he said. "We had to move mountains... then there was an engagement. We're still going to keep up with them as the show moves along."

Chris reiterated, "I just want to clear it up, at no point, was I disappointed in Clare. No point where any of us were disappointed. In fact, it was the contrary. We love you, we're here for you."

ABC/Craig Sjodin

While many Bachelor Nation fans have wondered if Dale was fully committed to Clare, Chris reassured it's the real deal.

"We were at the point where after this moment in the show, there is a decision to be made. It was really clear after we talked to them, they were head over heels in love," Chris shared. "When we proposed the idea of proposing, Dale said, 'I'm in, I love this girl.'"

Ashley asked if Dale had any hesitation about taking that next step, to which Chris replied, "None!"

Chris also touched on the criticism the couple has received following the proposal. "There is nothing that Clare has done that deserves anger and for her to be vilified," he stated. "Why are you mad that this woman found the love of her life and got engaged? I just want to ask everybody to have a little bit of grace and understanding."

He also asked that people give the same support to Tayshia Adams, who has officially replaced Clare as the new Bachelorette.

Only time will tell if Tayshia follows in Clare's footsteps and finds her special someone. 

The Bachelorette airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

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