The Bachelor showrunner and creator Mike Fleiss is officially gone from the franchise. This is the second shake-up in the last couple of years for the franchise and an unexpected one. Fleiss first announced his departure following the season finale of The Bachelor Season 27.
He tweeted a congratulatory message to Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar, then slid in his “goodbye” towards the end. It was a bit cryptic, but it essentially said, I’m leaving after 21 years, and it’s been a great ride.
“First and foremost, congratulations are in order for Zach and Kaity. I wish them a long and happy life together,” Fleiss shared. “I want to thank WBTV and ABC for 21 extraordinary years. They’ve found the perfect creative team for me to entrust ‘The Bachelor’ franchise and keep this lightning in a bottle bold and moving forward. Let the journey continue.”
Mike Fleiss is no longer a part of The Bachelor franchise
Variety attempted to question ABC and Warner Bros. TV (the producers behind The Bachelor) about Mike Fleiss’ exit, but no comment was given. The way Fleiss tweeted out his exit, it seemed like he left of his own volition, and there were no secret reasons for his sudden departure.
As Variety has now learned, Fleiss was booted out due to allegations surrounding racial discrimination. Sources revealed that quite a few individuals had complained to HR about Fleiss’ behavior. Over the last few months, an outside agency conducted an in-depth investigation into Fleiss to verify whether or not these claims had merit.
The investigation revealed that many staffers and producers had complained about Mike Fleiss. Confirmation of the allegations led to Fleiss’ departure. The complaints focused on Fleiss’ “bullying” behavior and his resistance to making the franchise more diverse.
Sources revealed that when suggestions were made to Fleiss to make the cast and/or leads more diverse, he would “lash out” at them and ignore their suggestions. This is something Fleiss said according to one of the individuals Variety spoke with, “People said he would retaliate against people for having minorities and Black people on the show. He favored certain people over other people. He would say, ‘Minorities don’t get ratings.’”
Surprisingly, Fleiss did respond to Variety’s request for comments. You can read his response here on what he had to say about the allegations.
Even though Fleiss will no longer be a part of the show, he will still be credited as the creator.
What does the future of The Bachelor have in store after this major change?
What do you think about Mike Fleiss’ departure from The Bachelor franchise? Let us know in the comments below!