Chris Harrison has expressed a sense of “relief” following his permanent departure from The Bachelor.

At 54, Harrison stepped down from his role as the host of ABC’s popular dating show in June 2021 after a run of 19 years, amidst a wave of controversy. In a recent interview with People, published on October 27, he shared his reflections on leaving the show, stating, “It feels wonderful, and thanks for asking that, because I wasn’t sure it would.”

Since his departure, Harrison has relocated from Los Angeles to Austin, Texas, and tied the knot with former Entertainment Tonight host Lauren Zima. The couple is set to celebrate their second wedding anniversary this November.

“When you immerse yourself in something every day for two decades, especially when it’s a global phenomenon, there’s an inherent pressure and scrutiny you don’t fully comprehend until you step away,” Harrison remarked to People.

Their love story began in the world of television. Chris Harrison and Lauren Zima first crossed paths professionally through their work on The Bachelor and Entertainment Tonight. What began as a work connection evolved into romance when the couple started dating in August 2018, thanks to Zima making the first move by messaging Harrison on social media.

The transition from emceeing The Bachelor and The Bachelorette — a full-time, all-consuming job — to having no role in the franchise was not easy at first. 

“And it was this kind of angst when I first got off, because I mean, ‘Oh, well, I gotta get back on. I gotta go back to work,’ or… ,” Harrison recalled.

“And then,” he added, “I kind of took a deep breath and you dropped your shoulders, and I think, you know, obviously falling in love definitely helped, moving to Austin definitely helped kind of relieve that and realize, ‘Wow, there’s a whole other world out here to dive into.’ And so it has been a wonderful break and relief.”

Harrison called Austin “the new Hollywood” and said the city “reminds [him] of what Hollywood was built on, which is anything and everything is possible if everybody will just come in with an honest, open heart and mind and just wanna do some fun work together.”

Chris Harrison was secretly going through his divorce from his ex-wife, Gwen Harrison, in the midst of filming The Bachelorette. “I vividly remember being in Thailand when I was in the midst of my divorce, but nobody knew,” Chris, 53, said on the Wednesday, June 25, episode of the “Sage Steele Show” podcast. “I was […]

Harrison teased that he and Zima, 37, have a project in the works.

“Honestly, for the first time in a long time, that fire has been reignited with this amazing woman to dive back in and do some creative work,” he said. “And there is a next chapter coming up very soon for both of us that is …We’re going to be very excited to talk about.”

Harrison and Zima began dating in 2018 after she sent him a DM, feeling a “vibe.” Five years and one walk-down-the-aisle later, he launched “The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever” with his wife by his side.

During the third episode in 2023, Zima revealed that “people in the industry” told her to break up with Harrison during his professional separation from Bachelor Nation.

Chris Harrison had a hilarious message to give his Bachelor Nation friends. Jason Tartick, 35, who first appeared on Becca Kufrin’s season 14 of The Bachelorette, took to TikTok on Thursday, November 9, to share a moment from Harrison, 52, and Lauren Zima’s wedding reception on Saturday, November 4. In the clip, Harrison joked that […]

“I’m divorced too,” she said at the time. “To me, everybody is going to make mistakes. … It’s all about how you respond to those mistakes. I did not break up with Chris — that was never even on my mind. Because right away, Chris knew he had been imperfect, knew he had made a mistake, knew that he’d hurt people and that he was so sorry for hurting people.”