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The Bachelor ended its 27th season with what might actually be one of the most dramatic finales of all-time, and with it came an announcement that creator and executive producer Mike Fleiss would be leaving the franchise.
In a lengthy statement, he talked about the premiere 21 years ago, challenges faced during the history of the series, and changes made in Bachelor Nation over the last two decades. The split from the ABC reality dating show seemed amicable enough, but Deadline broke the news that Fleiss’ departure came after an investigation into misconduct.
Sources told the publication that Warner Bros. partnered with ABC for an inquiry into alleged instances of emotional and verbal abuse and racist behavior from Fleiss. While details of the investigation haven’t been made public, Deadline did reveal that he wasn’t fired; instead, he chose to walk away from.
Variety also reported on the news and revealed that multiple employees of Fleiss had gone to human resources to complain about his behavior, tipping off the need for a thorough investigation. His behavior was classified, in those complaints, as “bullying,” and it was said that despite Fleiss stating that they’d made progress in diversity within Bachelor Nation, he was hesitant to actually move forward when suggestions for casting choices were made. The sources also said that Fleiss would lash out when requests were made to bring in a diversified cast of dating hopefuls.
Deadline shared Fleiss’ full goodbye, in which he doesn’t address any of the issues brought up against him.
“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! 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. 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.
Hopefully, the franchise will continue to move in the right direction. Judging by the number of staff weddings we’ve hosted at our home and the number of teary messages that blew up my phone when I announced I had turned in my final rose, 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.”
We Got This Covered will keep you updated if more information becomes available on the situation.