Two days after the news broke The Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss was leaving the franchise which premiered more than two decades ago, he has responded to a report following his departure from an investigation into racial discrimination, with Fleiss acknowledging that he could have done more to promote diversity.
Variety published one report announced on Thursday Warner Bros. Televisionwho is behind it ABC‘s long-running dating franchise, conducted the investigation after several employees filed complaints against Fleiss, including alleged bullying. According to the report, those involved in the investigation conducted by a third party included both current producers and former production employees, which led to Fleiss’ departure.
In a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter, Fleiss didn’t directly comment on the research, but said he should have done more to make the franchise more diverse. He stated that he was proud that he had spent the last five years working on making it more inclusive, a clear reference to Rachel Lindsay becoming the first black protagonist of The Bachelorette in 2017. In its 27 seasons, The Bachelor has had one black clue, Matt Jameswhose season aired in 2021.
“Since it premiered 21 years ago, times have certainly changed, and I must say we haven’t kept up with the pace of those changes,” Fleiss said in his post. “I’m proud of the work we’ve done over the past five years to make the show significantly more diverse, but I truly believe I could have done more. Hopefully the franchise continues to move in the right direction.”
In his statement, Fleiss added that he believed he had “more good days than bad, more uplifting feelings than hurts” during his tenure, and that he is leaving with “more friends than enemies”.
Representatives from ABC and Warner Bros. declined to comment.
Tuesday, the day after ABC’s season 27 finale of The Bachelor starring Zach Shallcross, Fleiss announced he would be leaving the franchise which started in March 2002. The Bachelorette debuted in January, and Fleiss has produced subsequent follow-ups, including Bachelor Toad, Bachelor in Paradise And The Bachelor Winter Games.
Fleiss had recently withdrawn from active involvement in the shows and was not present on a daily basis The Bachelor in the past ten years. Claire Freeland, Jason Ehrlich and Bennett Graebner were named executive producers and showrunners for the franchise and have already begun work on the upcoming 20th season of The Bachelorettewhich with Charity Lawson and will premiere in June.
“I want to thank WBTV and ABC for 21 extraordinary years,” Fleiss said in his statement Tuesday. “They have found the perfect creative team that I can entrust The Bachelor franchise and keep this lightning in a bottle bold and forward.