Chris Harrison

For other people named Chris Harrison, see Chris Harrison (disambiguation).

Chris Harrison
Harrison at the premiere for The Proposal in June 2009
Born
Christopher Bryan Harrison

(1971-07-26) July 26, 1971 (age 53)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Alma materOklahoma City University
OccupationTelevision personality
Years active1993–present
Spouses
  • Gwen Harrison
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1994; div. 2012)​
  • ​
    (m. 2023)​
Children2

Christopher Bryan Harrison (born July 26, 1971)[1] is an American television and game show host, best known for his role as the host of the ABC reality television dating show The Bachelor from 2002–2021. He also hosted its spin-offs The Bachelorette from 2003–2021, Bachelor Pad from 2010–2012, Bachelor in Paradise from 2014-21, the first season of Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise in 2015, Bachelor Live in 2016, and The Bachelor Winter Games in 2018. He also served as the host of the syndicated version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire from 2015–2019.

Early life and education

Harrison was born in Dallas.[1] He graduated from Lake Highlands High School in 1989.[2][3] He attended Oklahoma City University on a soccer scholarship.[4] He was initiated into the Kappa Sigma fraternity while in college.

Career

From 1993–99, Harrison worked as a sports reporter at CBS affiliate KWTV in Oklahoma City. He also worked briefly for TVG Network, a horse racing channel, and was the host of Designers' Challenge on HGTV. In 2001, Harrison hosted the short-lived game show Mall Masters for GSN.[5]

In 2002, Harrison guest-starred on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, as a music show host, in the episode "Ping, Ping a Song".

On November 23, 2008, Harrison hosted the American Music Awards pre-show live on ABC. His co-hosts were Dancing with the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba, and Pussycat Dolls member Nicole Scherzinger.

The TV Guide Network, now known as "Pop", announced that Harrison was signed to anchor its live red carpet awards coverage, beginning with the 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards in September.[6] In 2011, Harrison and Brooke Burns co-hosted the game show You Deserve It. He has also co-hosted Hollywood 411 on the former TV Guide Network.[7] He has hosted Designers' Challenge on HGTV and Mall Masters on the Game Show Network.

In April 2015, Disney-ABC announced that Harrison would replace Terry Crews as host of the syndicated version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? for the 2015–16 season.[8] GSN began airing reruns of this show on December 18, 2017, marking a return to the network for him since the cancellation of Mall Masters. Harrison earned two nominations for Outstanding Game Show Host in 2018 and 2019, but lost to Wayne Brady and Alex Trebek, respectively.

On May 19, 2015, Harrison branched out from TV and published his first romance novel, The Perfect Letter.[9]

Harrison hosted ABC's reality television dating shows The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, and its spinoffs.[10] He also serves as the voice of the "Bachelor Whammy" in the 2019 reboot version of Press Your Luck on ABC.[11]

Exit from The Bachelor franchise

On February 13, 2021, Harrison announced that he would be temporarily stepping aside from the franchise after facing criticism for defending a contestant on The Bachelor accused of racism.[12] In March 2021, alternative hosts were announced for season 17 of The Bachelorette.[13] In June 2021, it was announced that after 19 years, Harrison had permanently departed the franchise.[14]

Personal life

Harrison was married to his college sweetheart, Gwen Harrison.[15] They have two children, Joshua and Taylor.[16] In May 2012, after 18 years of marriage, Harrison and his wife announced they were ending their marriage. As of 2018, Harrison was confirmed to be dating Lauren Zima, a reporter and journalist for Entertainment Tonight.[16] The couple got married in November 2023.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b "Chris Harrison". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  2. ^ "Notable grad: Chris Harrison – Lake Highlands High School class of 1989". lakehighlands.advocatemag. February 22, 2018. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  3. ^ Stern, Sheri (August 6, 2010). "Everything's coming up roses for Lake Highlands grad". White Rock Lake Weekly. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  4. ^ "Chris Harrison - The Bachelor". ABC.
  5. ^ "Chris Harrison Named New Host of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'". CloserWeekly.com. April 14, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  6. ^ Tim Molloy (July 29, 2009). "Carrie Ann Inaba, Chris Harrison Join TV Guide Network's Red Carpet Coverage". TVGuide.com. Retrieved July 29, 2009.
  7. ^ Host Of The Bachelor Gets A New Gig Archived June 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Nellie Andreeva (April 13, 2015). "Chris Harrison Named New Host Of 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire', Replacing Terry Crews". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  9. ^ ""HarperCollins Publishers"". HarperCollins.
  10. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 16, 2020). "'The Bachelor' Host Chris Harrison Signs With Gersh". Deadline. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  11. ^ Press Your Luck. Season 1. Episode 1. ABC.
  12. ^ Lewis, Sophie. ""Bachelor" host Chris Harrison is temporarily "stepping aside" after "excusing historical racism"". CBS News. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  13. ^ "ABC will have 2 Bachelorettes for 2021". EW.com. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  14. ^ Patten, Dominic (June 8, 2021). "Chris Harrison Exits 'Bachelor' Franchise; Rose Withers On 19-Year Run As Host After Racism Controversy". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  15. ^ "Bachelor Pad Host Chris Harrison: King of the Rose". People. Archived from the original on May 5, 2012.
  16. ^ a b "Chris Harrison, Wife Gwen Are Splitting". People.
  17. ^ Schnurr, Samantha (November 4, 2023). "Chris Harrison and Lauren Zima Get Married". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved November 5, 2023.