Chris Harrison Speaks out After Being Hit with Cease-and-Desist From ‘The Bachelor’

Former Bachelor host Chris Harrison refuses to back down after the long-running reality TV show sent him a cease-and-desist letter over his new series, The Vow.

Speaking about the letter, Harrison told Entertainment Tonight, “Sounds like somebody misses somebody really bad. Jealousy’s a tough thing. Green’s not a great color on anybody, is it?”

Harrison also addressed criticism that The Vow is a “knockoff” of The Bachelor.

“You know, they haven’t seen it yet,” he pointed out, referring to the critics. “And I would just urge people to watch and then judge, and judge for yourself on the quality and the authenticity and the intention of the show.”

According to TV Insider, The Vow Season 1 contestant Jace Cates will “embark on a journey of a lifetime” as he dates 10 women to find and get engaged to his true love. The show will stream on Fox Nation and will be hosted by Harrison.

“Chris Harrison’s The Vow explores whether shared values, faith, communication, and long-term goals can build a relationship designed to last long after the cameras stop rolling,” the show’s description reads. “At a time when much of modern dating culture is driven by fleeting connections and social media attention, the series offers a different approach by placing the focus on meaningful relationships, commitment, and building a life together.”

Among the women vying for Cates’ heart is former Bachelor in Paradise contestant, Kylee Russell.

Harrison continued to talk about The Vow, which he co-created with his wife, Lauren Zima.

“Lauren and I were talking about what we were going to do,” he explained. “And the more we saw this kind of reemergence and this renaissance of young people going to church, seeking faith, seeking kind of foundation in their lives, we thought this is an interesting kind of niche to dive into, and more and more, we kind of cultivated this idea and thought, ‘Can you find love in this modern world?’”

Harrison further shared, “What if we raise the bar and raise the stakes and made it as authentic and intentional as you possibly could, and try and take away every hurdle that would get in their way?”

Although The Vow is set to premiere in early November, The Bachelor’s production company, WBTV, recently sent a cease-and-desist letter to Fox News, accusing the show of copying the ABC show.

In the letter, WBTV claimed the new show is a “plain attempt” to capitalize on and “ride on the coattails” of The Bachelor. Fox Nation has denied the allegations made in the letter, stating that WBTV focused ‘myopically on certain stills from the trailer, while omitting that its clear purpose is to convey that The Vow offers a different approach from other dating shows.”

Harrison hosted The Bachelor and its spinoffs for 19 years, from 2002 to 2021. He left the show in mid-2021, a few months after he defended contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s past racist behavior.