The Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss announced his departure on Tuesday, just hours after the show’s 27th season ended. The news came as a surprise, but also after years of controversial moments surrounding the long-running reality show that grew into an empire for ABC and studio Warner Bros. Television. Sources said it was an intentional decision. VarietyHe was in the middle of an investigation on racial disparity Friday.
Sources claim Fleiss was fired after Warner Bros. TV investigated allegations of racism. Sources say that ABC and the studio declined to comment. However, people familiar with the matter said Variety Many employees made complaints to human resources regarding the executive producer. The investigation was conducted by an external investigator, who interviewed former employees and present executives. Bachelor franchise staffers. We also spoke with some of the show’s producers.
Investigators learned about complaints of Fleiss’ “bullying behavior” and his “resistance” to the show’s recent efforts to diversify its casts, sources told Variety. He would allegedly “lash out” at staffers who suggested Fleiss cast more diverse reality stars and would ignore their suggestions. Staffers and producers repeatedly claimed that Fleiss would not accept changes.
People said that he could retaliate against those who had minorities or Blacks on the show. A source said that he preferred certain people to other people.” Variety. “He said that minorities do not get ratings.”
Fleiss’ behaviour was not consistent across the board, according to some reports Bachelor franchise staffers. Some were told Variety They were shocked by Fleiss’s departure, and they didn’t know about the probe against him. Fleiss, according to one high-ranking crewmember, was “really supportive” and creative. One crew member admitted Fleiss can “get heated” in creative discussions but that this is because Fleiss “is passionate about the show, and always wants what’s best to our audience.” The person claimed that Fleiss never bullied another person and also noted Flesis’s involvement in the promotion of its first Black executive producer. Jodi Baskerville2021.
Fleiss replied to the report Variety He said he could have done more to diversify the show and was proud of the series’ progress over the last five years. Fleiss said that the franchise “will continue to move forward in the correct direction.” Based on the number and quality of the staff weddings held at our house and the tearful messages I got when I declared that I had given up, I can safely say I had more happy days than I did bad. I also believe I left the franchise in better hands with more friends and more foes.
Fleiss has announced his resignation From The Bachelor On Tuesday, after Season 27 had ended, Zach Shalcross got engaged to Kaity Biggar. His decision was not made public by Warner Bros. TV or ABC at the time. Longtime Bachelor As new showrunners, Claire Freeland, Jason Ehrlick and Bennett Graebner are the producers. Fleiss won’t be involved in future shows, but he will continue to be acknowledged as the creator.