The first full season of ABC’s the Bachelorette without host Chris Harrison is proving to be a wash for the show, with ratings and viewership dipping to an all-time low.
The first full season of ABC’s the Bachelorette without host Chris Harrison is proving to be a wash for the show, with ratings and viewership dipping to an all-time low following a high-profile racism scandal involving one of the show's participants.
In a recent episode, Deadline revealed that the show drew in 3.2 million viewers, raking in a whopping 0.8 rating amongst 18 to 49-year-olds, according to early Nielsen Live+Same Day numbers.
On the same night, a CBS rerun of the show Neighborhood drew in the largest crowd that Monday with 3.5 million viewers.
The Bachelorette season 17 kicked off with 3.6 million viewers with only a 0.9 rating amongst the demographic.
The previous season, for comparison, premiered with 5 million viewers and a 1.4 rating, resulting in a 20 percent drop in total viewership, and a 30 percent drop in viewership in that key demographic.
The drops come as the season premiered two new hosts in the wake of former host Harrison’s departure. Hosting now are Bachelorette alums Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe.
Harrison, who hosted the show since 2002, was attacked for defending former show contestant Rachael Kirkconnell after a controversial picture surfaced of her at an "antebellum"-themed fraternity event in 2018.
In response, Harrison said the public should not be "judge, jury, and executioner" and asked for time and "grace."
Harrison was force to step aside "for a period of time" from his host spot due to comments, but was revealed by ABC and Warner that he would not be returning, instead, the show would focus on "improving BIPOC representation" in hosts.
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