Two days after Mike Fleiss, the creator of “The Bachelor,” announced that he was leaving the popular reality show, he made another statement regarding an investigation into allegations of racial discrimination reportedly being conducted on March 30th.
It turns out that Mike Fleiss, the creator of “The Bachelor,” didn’t leave the show peacefully after all. On March 28th, he officially announced his departure from the popular ABC series after being involved with it for 21 years. However, just two days later, he released another statement admitting that he could have done more in regards to a reported investigation into allegations of racial discrimination. In an email to Variety, he acknowledged that times have changed since the show’s premiere and that they didn’t keep up with those changes. While he’s proud of the progress made over the past five years to make the show more diverse, he believes that he could have done even more.
In the same email, Mike Fleiss, who is 58 years old, also mentioned that he believes he has more friends than foes and expressed hope that the show will continue to improve its diversity. He stated that he believes the franchise will continue to move in the right direction. Fleiss noted that he had received many messages from staff and contestants after he announced his departure and that he believes he has lifted more spirits than caused hurt feelings during his time with the show. Overall, he believes that the franchise is in good hands with more friends than foes.
In the beginning of the email, Mike Fleiss also stated that newer reality TV dating shows have “ripped him off.” He mentioned that he didn’t realize that “The Bachelor” was going to become a pop culture phenomenon when it first started in 2002. He added that the show continues to be successful and has even inspired other networks and streamers to create similar shows. As previously reported, Mike announced his departure from the show on Tuesday, one day after the Season 27 finale.
Mike Fleiss’ departure statement, as shared with Variety, began by congratulating Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar and wishing them a happy life together. He then thanked Warner Bros. TV and ABC for an extraordinary 21 years and expressed confidence in the new creative team that has been put in place to keep “The Bachelor” franchise moving forward. ABC and Warner Bros. TV have not commented on Mike’s departure or the investigation into allegations of racial discrimination. Mike has been replaced by new showrunners Claire Freeland, Jason Ehrlich, and Bennett Graebner, according to Variety.
Although Mike Fleiss will have no involvement with the show going forward, he will still be credited as the creator of “The Bachelor” franchise. In 2017, Rachel Lindsay became the first-ever Black lead on the show. Mike was previously in the news in 2019 for his separation from his wife, Laura Kaeppeler. “The Bachelor” Season 27 recently concluded, and Season 20 of “The Bachelorette” is set to premiere on June 26.