Peter Weber, one of the most universally despised Bachelors in the franchise’s history, has spoken out in defense of a fellow Bachelor persona non grata, Chris Harrison, in an interview with Entertainment Tonight on Wednesday. To quickly recap: Harrison left the franchise (with a comfortable $10 million exit settlement) after defending Bachelor winner Rachael Kirkconnell, whose racist social-media posts caused controversy back in February. “Nobody’s perfect. That’s a understatement, right? Obviously, could his delivery have been a little different with comments he had made? Absolutely, 100 percent,†Weber said. “But I think, if anything, the show is going to miss him. I think they do. I think ratings, I mean, those don’t lie. They’re kind of already showing that.â€
Weber continued, “It’s sad for all parties involved. I know Chris. I know Chris is a good person and I wish him nothing but the best going forward with whatever he does. But I think the show is going to regret letting him go. I do.†He also added, in case it wasn’t clear, that he “thinks the world of Chris†and “no one’s ever going to replace Chris Harrison.†As for Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe, who are co-hosting this season of The Bachelorette, Weber helpfully opined, “It’s different, obviously. The whole women supporting women type thing going on there is great.†“It can spice it up a little bit,†he allowed, which is a solid encapsulation of how Hollywood feels about women hosting television shows.