Emmanuel Acho has been known to tackle difficult topics with his YouTube series Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man.
And the retired NFL pro is preparing for a different kind of uncomfortable with his next onscreen gig.
He’s stepping in to host The Bachelor: After the Final Rose special, which airs Monday, March 15 on ABC, after longtime host Chris Harrison announced he was ‘stepping aside for a period of time.’
Host with the most: Emmanuel Acho is stepping in to host The Bachelor: After the Final Rose special, which airs Monday, March 15 on ABC
Stepping aside: It comes after longtime host Chris Harrison announced he was ‘stepping aside for a period of time’
The 30-year-old took to Instagram Saturday with the news: ‘IT’S OFFICIAL: I’ve accepted the Rose and am honored to be hosting the @bachelorabc After the Final Rose this year.
‘It’s been a pivotal season, and this episode will hopefully be one of the most storied shows in TV history. Empathy is needed and change is coming. Share the news! I’ll see y’all then!’
He included a bio in the post, mentioning his 2020 NYT bestseller, based on his YouTube series of the same name, as well as his Fox Sports show Speak For Yourself.
Acho, who was raised in a predominantly white neighborhood and embraced Black culture in college and the NFL, started Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man after the killing of George Floyd last year.
Insta official: The 30-year-old took to Instagram Saturday with the news: ‘IT’S OFFICIAL: I’ve accepted the Rose and am honored to be hosting the @bachelorabc After the Final Rose this year’ (pictured in November, 2020)
Fun facts: He included a bio in the post, mentioning his 2020 NYT bestseller, based on his hit YouTube series Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man (pictured in February, 2017)
Important dialogue: Acho, who was raised in a predominantly white neighborhood and embraced Black culture in college and the NFL, started Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man after the killing of George Floyd last year
Building a bridge: The former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker added: ‘Lastly, I love being a bridge for reconciliation. Our world is disconnected & divided, my goal is to unify’ (pictured in October, 2014)
The former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker added: ‘Lastly, I love being a bridge for reconciliation. Our world is disconnected & divided, my goal is to unify.’
It comes amid a pivotal 25th season for the long-running dating show, in which the franchise cast their first Black lead in Matt James, 29.
A press release for the special said he will sit down with Acho to discuss his ‘season, his final decision and where he is now, as well as cover the current events about the franchise.’
The season has been somewhat overshadowed by top-three contestant Rachael Kirkconnell, 24, after photos surfaced of her wearing Native American attire as a costume and attending an antebellum-themed ‘Old South’ college party in 2018.
Historic season: It comes amid a pivotal 25th season for the long-running dating show, in which the franchise cast their first Black lead in Matt James, 29
Racist controversy: The season has been somewhat overshadowed by top-three contestant Rachael Kirkconnell, 24, after photos surfaced of her wearing Native American attire as a costume and attending antebellum-themed ‘Old South’ college party in 2018
Internet history: A now viral video on TikTok also revealed some posts she ‘liked’, containing the Confederate flag and QAnon conspiracy theories
A now viral video on TikTok also revealed some posts she ‘liked’, containing the Confederate flag and QAnon conspiracy theories.
Harrison, 49, took some backlash after he defended her in an interview with Extra, in which he said fans should have ‘a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion.’
After a petition called for his removal from the show, he said in a statement: ‘I will always own a mistake when I make one, so I am here to extend a sincere apology.
‘I have this incredible platform to speak about love, and yesterday I took a stance on topics which I should have been better informed. What I now realize I have done is cause harm by wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism, and for that I am so deeply sorry.’
In a follow-up statement on Instagram, he announced that he’s ‘stepping aside for a period of time’, adding: ‘The historic season of The Bachelor should not be marred or overshadowed by my mistakes or diminished by my actions.’
Devil’s advocate: Harrison, 49, took some backlash after he defended her in an interview with Extra, in which he said fans should have ‘a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion’
Sitting it out: In a follow-up statement on Instagram, he announced that he’s ‘stepping aside for a period of time’, adding: ‘The historic season of The Bachelor should not be marred or overshadowed by my mistakes or diminished by my actions.’
Rachel Lindsay, 35, who served as the first Black lead of The Bachelorette in season 21, recently recommended Acho for the gig, along with husband Bryan Abasolo, 41.
She told People: ‘For ATFR, Bryan and I both talked about this — we think Emmanuel Acho would be fantastic. [He’s] very outspoken about racial injustice, for social justice, and has pretty much been the person who said, “I can have these uncomfortable conversations, and people trust it.”
‘Who better to lead it? [He’s] someone who’s not involved with the franchise, no ties, no bias — I think it’d be great.’
It comes amid rumors that Michael Strahan and Robin Roberts are also being considered to step in full-time for Harrison.
Highly recommended: Rachel Lindsay, 35, who served as the first Black lead of The Bachelorette in season 21, recently recommended Acho for the gig, along with husband Bryan Abasolo, 41 (pictured in August, 2017)