How Are The Bachelorette 2021 Ratings Without Chris Harrison?
Katie Thurstons season of The Bachelorette is in full swing, with the second episode airing on Monday, June 14, 2021, on ABC. Following the networks decision to move forward without Chris Harrison as the host this season, many have been wondering if the ratings would be affected, mainly because so many fans vowed to stop watching. The second episode of the popular reality dating show fell to 3.2 million total viewers, which is down slightly from the first episode, according to TV Line. The outlet confirmed that the most watched show of the night was actually a rerun of Neighborhood that aired on CBS. The show drew 3.5 million viewers. Interestingly, before the episode aired, Thurston put a poll on her Instagram Stories, asking fans why they tuned into the show. According to the Bachelor Data Instagram account, the majority of people responded with laughter and entertainment, with love and romance being the second most popular answer. Heres what you need to know:  The Series Premiere of The Bachelorette Had the Lowest Ratings in the History of the Show  While many fans were excited to see Thurston kick off her journey to find love, the premiere of The Bachelorette didnt pull in the numbers that the franchise is used to seeing. According to Deadline, the series premiere, which aired on Monday, June 7, 2021, did well on the night overall with 3.59 [million] viewers and a 0.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic, per early Nielsen Live+Same Day numbers.  The premiere was an all-time low for the franchise. [The] premiere fell from its previous bow in October 2020 (4.76M, 1.3) by 24% in viewers and four-tenths in rating, Deadline reported. For comparison purposes, Clare Crawleys season of The Bachelorette saw 4.76 million viewers tune in to the premiere in October 2020, according to Deadline. Harrison Will Not Be Returning as Host  Just a few hours after The Bachelorette premiere aired, Deadline reported that Harrison would not be returning to the franchise in the future  his fate had been sealed. The longtime host reportedly received a mid-eight-figure payout, and had agreed to some sort of non-disclosure as part of his exit terms. The confidential settlement with franchise producers and distributor Warner Horizon was finally reached after one more flurry of back and forth between the parties and Bachelor broadcaster ABC on Monday night, Deadline reported on Tuesday, June 8, 2021. The next day, Harrison took to Instagram to say his goodbyes to Bachelor Nation. Ive had a truly incredible run as host of The Bachelor franchise and now Im excited to start a new chapter. Im so grateful to Bachelor Nation for all of the memories weve made together. While my two-decade journey is wrapping up, the friendships Ive made will last a lifetime, he captioned a photo of himself standing on the After the Final Rose stage. Several former Bachelor and Bachelorette cast members took to the comments section to post their well wishes to Harrison. You can read many of the comments here. READ NEXT: Chris Harrisons Fate Within the Bachelor Franchise Has Been Decided