The Bachelor Showrunners Exit Amid 'Toxic' Workplace Accusations

The Bachelor is saying goodbye to some big names behind the scenes: Claire Freeland and Bennett Graebner, who have served as showrunners for the past two seasons, are exiting the ABC dating show, our sister site Deadline reports. (ABC and producers Warner Bros. TV had no comment when reached by TVLine.)

The exit comes a month after an explosive report that accused Freeland and Graebner of fostering a "toxic" and "hostile" environment behind the scenes of The Bachelor, alleging that they have run the franchise with "fear" and subjected crew members to verbal and mental abuse. Freeland and Graebner both denied the accusations, but two Bachelor co-executive producers resigned shortly after the report was published.

Freeland and Graebner took over as showrunners in 2023, along with Jason Ehrlich, after The Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss stepped down following an investigation into allegations of racial discrimination. (Fleiss was accused of resisting calls to diversify the franchise and "would retaliate against people for having minorities and Black people on the show," a source alleged.) Ehrlich left The Bachelor last year to oversee The Golden Bachelor.

Bachelor Nation has seen some major shake-ups lately: In February, it was reported that The Bachelorette would skip the upcoming summer season for the first time since 2007 (not counting 2020, when COVID delayed it until the fall). There's no word yet on why The Bachelorette was paused, but it may still return later this year. Meanwhile, The Bachelor — with Grant Ellis handing out the roses — currently airs Mondays at 8/7c on ABC, with the season finale set for Mar. 24.

How are we feeling, Bachelor Nation? Is the bloom off the rose? Let us know in the comments.