Chris Harrison Tells Kaitlyn Bristowe She and Tayshia Adams Were ‘Set Up to Fail’ as ‘Bachelorette’ Hosts in 1st Convo About Drama

Credit: John Salangsang/Shutterstock; AFF-USA/Shutterstock; Kristin Callahan/Shutterstock

Chris Harrison Tells Kaitlyn Bristowe She and Tayshia Adams Were 'Set Up to Fail' as 'Bachelorette' Hosts in 1st Convo About Drama

Patching things up? Chris Harrison and Kaitlyn Bristowe sat down to break down their falling out — in front of podcast mics. The 51-year-old former Bachelor host connected with the season 11 Bachelorette, 37, after Bristowe opened up about their strained relationship on the “Not Skinny But Not Fat” podcast late last month. “What I took from this when I read the articles, listened to the podcast that she did, it wasn't a cry for help, but I took it as a cry for something that she lost,” Harrison began on the Monday, February 6, episode of his “Most Dramatic Podcast Ever.” He continued: “Something that she was sad that she lost and that was our friendship. And so instead of getting mad, or even disappointed, which I'm not, I was saddened that a friend of mine was mourning the loss of our friendship and that that friendship had changed. And yes, to a certain degree, it did change.” Before the “Off the Vine” podcast host joined, Harrison noted that he and Bristowe had “texted several times over the last week” but were going to talk for the first time on the show. He recalled the Dancing With the Stars champ being on Entertainment Tonight amid the backlash of Harrison’s controversial defense of then-Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell (which led to ABC cutting ties with Harrison). “I called you that morning and we talked a little bit, and you made the statements that you were going to make, and we talked about that and I supported you and said look, ‘I totally understand. ​Do what you got to do. That this doesn't affect us.’ And then subsequently, you and Tayshia [Adams] were named [as mentors for season 17 of The Bachelorette],” Harrison said. “We hadn't talked after that. … So you texted me after you got the mentorship.” While Bristowe said on the “Not Skinny But Not Fat” podcast that she texted Harrison “10 times” with no response in March 2021, he claimed on Monday that “seven of [the messages] were just that day.” “And I'm not going to read them to you, but it was one of those things where she missed a word and she's like ‘Wait, I meant this, meant this.’ So it wasn't like you were hammering me with text messages, [saying] ‘Call me, call me, call me.’ It was really this one strain of thoughts that came out on one day,” Harrison continued. “A week later [or] so you said, ‘Hey if you get a chance call me.’ And so there wasn't ghosting. … And it had nothing — and I mean, nothing — to do with you and Tayshia hosting the show. It had to do with the fact that I was going through something extraordinary. … And I don't mean this in a condescending way, it had nothing to do with you or Tayshia.” [jwplayer cQ0rvLec-zhNYySv2] Harrison added that “at that time” he “needed people” in his life that were “unconditionally loving and caring” and reaching out solely to check in on him, his kids and his fiancée, Lauren Zima. “Perception is never the actual reality. And so to me, I was like, ‘I feel like I did reach out to you and I did feel like I did reach out to Lauren,’’ Bristowe replied. “And I feel like I cared so much, but I was also in such a weird position. And then I understand that you were also in a weird position. So when I didn’t get a text message back, I was like, ‘OK, it's just this is what it has to be. The relationship obviously has to change.’ So then I feel like I wanted to continue to reach out and check in and talk, but then I felt like, ‘Well, he’s not ready to talk to me.’” Bristowe said that in hindsight, she “totally get[s]” why Harrison wasn’t making it a priority to get back to her. In return, he noted that the dynamic between him and former leads may have played a factor too. “I was the mentor — somewhat of a father figure — where I listened. And I asked questions, and I was all about you and your life, because that was my job and I care,” he said. “And I took a lot of pride in that and that's how our relationship started. This time, I needed that flip of just the, ‘Hey, how are you? Are you OK?’ Not, ‘Are you OK with me taking the show and you’re irreplaceable.’ And I appreciated those words, but it was just at that time, I didn't have the bandwidth to deal with all of that. … By the way, I really, truly just wasn't worried at all about who was hosting and who was the next mentor or what the show was going to do.” Bristowe and Adams — billed as special guests — hosted seasons 17 and 18 of The Bachelorette before ABC named Jesse Palmer the permanent replacement for Harrison, taking the lead of The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise. Scroll through for more from Harrison and Bristowe:

Credit: John Salangsang/Shutterstock; AFF-USA/Shutterstock; Kristin Callahan/Shutterstock

Chris Harrison Tells Kaitlyn Bristowe She and Tayshia Adams Were 'Set Up to Fail' as 'Bachelorette' Hosts in 1st Convo About Drama

Patching things up? Chris Harrison and Kaitlyn Bristowe sat down to break down their falling out — in front of podcast mics. The 51-year-old former Bachelor host connected with the season 11 Bachelorette, 37, after Bristowe opened up about their strained relationship on the “Not Skinny But Not Fat” podcast late last month. “What I took from this when I read the articles, listened to the podcast that she did, it wasn't a cry for help, but I took it as a cry for something that she lost,” Harrison began on the Monday, February 6, episode of his “Most Dramatic Podcast Ever.” He continued: “Something that she was sad that she lost and that was our friendship. And so instead of getting mad, or even disappointed, which I'm not, I was saddened that a friend of mine was mourning the loss of our friendship and that that friendship had changed. And yes, to a certain degree, it did change.” Before the “Off the Vine” podcast host joined, Harrison noted that he and Bristowe had “texted several times over the last week” but were going to talk for the first time on the show. He recalled the Dancing With the Stars champ being on Entertainment Tonight amid the backlash of Harrison’s controversial defense of then-Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell (which led to ABC cutting ties with Harrison). “I called you that morning and we talked a little bit, and you made the statements that you were going to make, and we talked about that and I supported you and said look, ‘I totally understand. ​Do what you got to do. That this doesn't affect us.’ And then subsequently, you and Tayshia [Adams] were named [as mentors for season 17 of The Bachelorette],” Harrison said. “We hadn't talked after that. … So you texted me after you got the mentorship.” While Bristowe said on the “Not Skinny But Not Fat” podcast that she texted Harrison “10 times” with no response in March 2021, he claimed on Monday that “seven of [the messages] were just that day.” “And I'm not going to read them to you, but it was one of those things where she missed a word and she's like ‘Wait, I meant this, meant this.’ So it wasn't like you were hammering me with text messages, [saying] ‘Call me, call me, call me.’ It was really this one strain of thoughts that came out on one day,” Harrison continued. “A week later [or] so you said, ‘Hey if you get a chance call me.’ And so there wasn't ghosting. … And it had nothing — and I mean, nothing — to do with you and Tayshia hosting the show. It had to do with the fact that I was going through something extraordinary. … And I don't mean this in a condescending way, it had nothing to do with you or Tayshia.” [jwplayer cQ0rvLec-zhNYySv2] Harrison added that “at that time” he “needed people” in his life that were “unconditionally loving and caring” and reaching out solely to check in on him, his kids and his fiancée, Lauren Zima. “Perception is never the actual reality. And so to me, I was like, ‘I feel like I did reach out to you and I did feel like I did reach out to Lauren,’’ Bristowe replied. “And I feel like I cared so much, but I was also in such a weird position. And then I understand that you were also in a weird position. So when I didn’t get a text message back, I was like, ‘OK, it's just this is what it has to be. The relationship obviously has to change.’ So then I feel like I wanted to continue to reach out and check in and talk, but then I felt like, ‘Well, he’s not ready to talk to me.’” Bristowe said that in hindsight, she “totally get[s]” why Harrison wasn’t making it a priority to get back to her. In return, he noted that the dynamic between him and former leads may have played a factor too. “I was the mentor — somewhat of a father figure — where I listened. And I asked questions, and I was all about you and your life, because that was my job and I care,” he said. “And I took a lot of pride in that and that's how our relationship started. This time, I needed that flip of just the, ‘Hey, how are you? Are you OK?’ Not, ‘Are you OK with me taking the show and you’re irreplaceable.’ And I appreciated those words, but it was just at that time, I didn't have the bandwidth to deal with all of that. … By the way, I really, truly just wasn't worried at all about who was hosting and who was the next mentor or what the show was going to do.” Bristowe and Adams — billed as special guests — hosted seasons 17 and 18 of The Bachelorette before ABC named Jesse Palmer the permanent replacement for Harrison, taking the lead of The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise. Scroll through for more from Harrison and Bristowe:

Credit: John Salangsang/Shutterstock; Kristin Callahan/Shutterstock

Chris Spoke to Tayshia About Hosting Gig

According to Harrison, he had connected with Adams and it “came out” in the news that he had “congratulated her” on the gig.

“The truth is Tayshia and I were talking about something completely different. Someone on the inside of production had let me know that you guys were going to take over as mentors, or was whatever it was named, but someone on the inside letting me know, that which I appreciated,” he said. “And while I was talking to Tayshia about something completely different, I did mention to her, like, ‘Oh hey, by the way, I do know this,’ because neither one of you had reached out — because it was awkward — [but] neither one of you reached out, said, ‘Hey Chris, just know that they're talking to me about this, we’re going to do this,’ so while I was on the phone with her, I just brought it up myself and said, ‘No hard feelings for you and Kaitlyn, I am in no way angry. I'm in no way bitter. I don't feel like you two stabbed me in the back.’ I would not expect either one of you to say, ‘I love Chris, he's my friend. I'm turning down this job. … Why would you turn down that opportunity when this had nothing to do with you?’ That's all I said to her.”

Credit: Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock

Mentorship vs. Hosting

Harrison said he wishes he was able to talk to Bristowe and Adams during their negotiations to be part of Bachelorette season 17. Bristowe subsequently admitted that she believes the network called her and the season 16 Bachelorette “mentors” to pay them less.

“I went into it blind, I got there and started reading off a prompter and I was like, ‘Oh, OK, so we are definitely hosting,’” she recalled, adding that she quickly gained more respect for Harrison. “[Fans are] underestimating how much work you put into that. All of the hours and time away and hard work and [you’re] up late nights. You really do a lot. So I was having a lot of respect for you in those moments. And also I loved it because I love hosting. … But then I also [felt] guilty. There's times I was feeling guilty like, you know, impostor syndrome. Why do I deserve to have this or be here? And on another level, I'm feeling, like, ‘Why can't I do this on my own? … Why do they not just trust me by myself?’”

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

Chris Says Kaitlyn and Tayshia Were ’Set Up to Fail’

“You were doomed to fail. You were set up to fail. That was never going to succeed. … There's not room for two people,” Harrison told Bristowe of his reaction to the news. “There's not room for two mentors. There's not room for two emotions in that mental space that you're taking over and so that was just never going to work. …  I knew how awkward and tough that situation was going to be.”

Bristowe noted that while she and Adams got along, it changed the vibe of the position.

“It took away the level of profession too, like, it didn't feel professional to have two and then it kind of made us feel silly and goofy with each other where we didn't take it as serious[ly] as one person would have,” she said. “And like you said, there really isn't enough room for two people to be in that position.”

Harrison added: “To have two women hosting The Bachelorette — so now you really have three women — that's a lot in that space. I don't know how you’re set up to succeed there.”

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Kaitlyn and Chris’ Wedding Conversation

On “Not Skinny But Not Fat,” Bristowe recalled seeing Harrison at Wells Adams and Sarah Hyland’s nuptials in August 2022.

“I saw him at Wells and Sarah’s wedding and I walked up to him and I was like, ‘I miss you,’ and he was like, ‘Well I’ve always been here,’” she said. “So yeah, that was tough.”

Harrison, for his part, told Bristowe that the interaction wasn’t “awkward at all” from his perspective.

“I was talking to [your fiancé] Jason [Tartick] and you were talking to somebody else and then you walked over and joined us and I gave you a big hug,” Harrison said. “And it was really sweet what you said, and it came off in print, like, it was awkward, and I want to tell people it was not. When you said to me, ‘Hey, I miss you. And I miss this.’ It really hit me in the heart, and I gave you a big, long hug and we embraced for probably 10 seconds too long. And you know, I said, ‘You know, I've always been here. I'm always here for you.’ And I didn't mean like, ‘Hey, I'm always here, it's on you.’ And that's when you see it in print, that's how it came off, but it wasn't you.”

Bristowe said the hug felt genuine, but she didn’t see his remark the same way at the time.

“When you said, ‘I’ve always been here,’ that's when my brain went, ‘No, you haven’t! You ignored me and you didn't text me back.’ But again, we all know how I'm dramatic,” she responded. “I respond always with emotion. And I wanted to be like, ‘But I didn't feel like you were,’ but again, I had to reel it in and know that you didn't have to be. You didn't have to be there for me at that time. I should have been more there for you if anything and I was expecting you to be there for me.”