Mike Fleiss, the creator of “The Bachelor” franchise, has announced his departure from the show after 21 years. Fleiss congratulated Season 27 lead Zach Shallcross and his fiancée Kaity Biggar on their engagement, and thanked ABC and WBTV for the past two decades. Fleiss will be replaced by new showrunners Claire Freeland, Bennett Graebner, and Jason Ehrlich, who all have lengthy ties to the reality show.
“Mike Fleiss is leaving the ‘Bachelor’ franchise after 21 years, and will be replaced by new showrunners Jason Ehrlich, Claire Freeland, and Bennett Graebner, who have extensive ties to the reality show.”
Mike Fleiss, the creator of the reality TV show “The Bachelor,” has announced that he is leaving the franchise after being involved with it for 21 years. Fleiss announced the news in a statement congratulating the newest “Bachelor” couple, Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar, on their engagement. He also thanked WBTV and ABC for 21 extraordinary years, and said that he is entrusting the show’s creative team with keeping the franchise “bold and moving forward.”
According to Deadline, Fleiss will be replaced by new showrunners who have lengthy ties to the reality show, including Jason Ehrlich, Claire Freeland, and Bennett Graebner. Meanwhile, the production for Season 20 of “The Bachelorette,” which stars Charity Lawson and premieres in June, is already underway.
Aside from “The Bachelor,” Fleiss has also been involved in several horror films like “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning,” “Hostel,” and “Shark Night.” He has also produced other reality shows such as “Who Wants To Marry A Multi-Millionaire” and “High School Reunion.”
Fleiss has been involved in a lot of scandals outside of the show, including his divorce from his wife Laura Kaeppeler, who accused him of physically and verbally abusing her while she was pregnant. Although Fleiss denied her allegations, a judge ordered him to stay 100 yards away from her and their family dog. The couple settled their divorce in 2019, and she was granted $10 million and joint custody of their oldest son, Ben, who is now 7. They also have a youngest son, George, who was born in 2020.
Fleiss’s announcement comes just a day after the finale of Season 27, where Shallcross proposed to Biggar. “The Bachelor” debuted in 2002 and has since spawned several spinoffs, including “The Bachelorette” and “Bachelor in Paradise.”