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Former NFL star steps in to host The Bachelor: After the Final Rose

By Sarabeth Pollock

AUSTIN, TX - MARCH 13: NFL player Emmanuel Acho attends 'Problem Solvers: Compensating College Athletes for Their Likeness' during the 2015 SXSW Music, Film + Interactive Festival at Four Seasons Hotel on March 13, 2015 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Amy E. Price/Getty Images for SXSW)
AUSTIN, TX - MARCH 13: NFL player Emmanuel Acho attends 'Problem Solvers: Compensating College Athletes for Their Likeness' during the 2015 SXSW Music, Film + Interactive Festival at Four Seasons Hotel on March 13, 2015 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Amy E. Price/Getty Images for SXSW) /
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The latest season of The Bachelor has been one for the record books. Nearly two decades into the franchise and the show finally landed its first Black Bachelor with Matt James. James has been a breath of fresh air for fans in a season fraught with tension, and now we’re learning that former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho will host The Bachelor: After the Final Rose now that host Chris Harrison has stepped away from the show.

Acho is a great choice to host the highly anticipated After the Final Rose episode. This is the episode where the audience finds out whether the bachelor and the last woman standing are still together. Acho, who is currently an analyst for FOX Sports, knows how to handle tense moments thanks to his former NFL job and his current role as an analyst.

“It’s both an honor and privilege to be hosting After the Final Rose,” Acho said on Instagram. “It’s been a pivotal season, and this episode will hopefully be one of the most storied shows in TV history.”

Acho goes on to say that “empathy and change is coming,” which is why he’s such a great choice to take over for Harrison as Acho is the author of Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man and he notes on Instagram that he loves “being a bridge for reconciliation” and his “goal is to unify.”

Emmanuel Acho will replace Chris Harrison on The Bachelor: After the Final Rose

Acho will bring a much needed reset and breath of fresh air for ABC’s long standing dating show, which has weathered quite a few controversies in recent months.

The last season of The Bachelorette featured two female leads after Clare Crawley left the show early when she found true love with Dale Moss long before the show ended, paving the way for Tayshia Adams to step in and finish the season.

Chris Harrison sparked controversy when he defended current final three contestant Rachael Kirkconnell, who attended an antebellum plantation-themed party in college. Harrison was being interviewed by former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay for a segment on Extra when he made the comments, defending Kirkconnell and suggesting that people need “a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion” rather than “tearing this girl’s life apart.”

Harrison immediately owned his mistake and stepped away from the show and the After the Final Rose ceremony so that his actions didn’t overshadow the historic season.

Acho will have a chance to speak with James and the final three contestants: Kirkconnell, Bri Springs and Michelle Young about their experience on the show and the controversy surrounding the season.

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The Bachelor: After the Final Rose will air Monday, March 15 at 10pm on ABC.

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