Chris Harrison and Kaitlyn Bristowe’s Friendship Ups and Downs: Bonding on ‘The Bachelor,’ Ghosting Drama and More

usmagazine.com:

From besties to barely speaking. Kaitlyn Bristowe formed a tight bond with Chris Harrison when she joined Bachelor Nation, but the pair’s connection has wavered over the years.During a January 2023 appearance on the “Not Skinny But Not Fat” podcast, Bristowe claimed that her mentor position on Katie Thurston’s 2021 season of The Bachelorette — which came amid Harrison’s exit from the franchise — strained their friendship.“They offered me the position to come in, and what the Bachelor franchise said [I was there to do] was to mentor Katie,” she explained. “[They said] I wouldn’t be replacing Chris.

Then all these articles started coming out, saying, ‘Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe replacing Chris Harrison.’”Harrison was officially let go from his longtime Bachelor franchise hosting gig in June 2021 after garnering backlash for defending controversial season 25 winner Rachael Kirkconnell — who made headlines for her racially insensitive past — that February.Bristowe recalled feeling “icky” at the thought of taking her pal’s job and claimed that she “messaged Chris probably about 10 times without him responding.”The Canada native added that she “bawled” her “eyes out” after her relationship with the television personality “just felt like it went down the toilet.”In order to view the video, please allow Manage CookiesShortly after the Dancing With the Stars alum dished on the falling out, she reunited with Harrison during a February 2023 episode of his “Most Dramatic Podcast Ever.”During the episode, the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire alum addressed Bristowe’s claims that she had texted him “about 10 times” after being offered the mentorship role.“Seven of [the messages] were just that day,” he claimed. “And I’m not going