Chris Harrison

**Christopher Bryan "Chris" Harrison** began his television career by covering local sports in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Dallas, Texas, native went to Oklahoma City University on a soccer scholarship, and then made the natural transition to sportscasting with a local station. During his six years there, he worked his way up the ranks from part-time sportscaster to weekend sportscaster. He also had the opportunity to cover hard news stories, including the 1995 tragedy at the Federal Building, an event which profoundly affected his perspective on life and career.

A visit to L.A. in 1999 for an audition for a horseracing network led to a permanent move. Later that year, Harrison landed the job as host of HGTV's *Designer's Challenge*, which was consistently one of the network’s highest rated shows. In 2001, he became the host of ABC's hit romance/reality series *The Bachelor* and *The Bachelorette*. He also has hosted ABC's popular reality show, *Bachelor Pad*, the "all-star" reunion from previous seasons of *The Bachelor* and *The Bachelorette*, the last two years.

Harrison continues to advance in the entertainment industry through a variety of professional endeavors. He was just named as the new host of the nationally syndicated game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. He will join the popular long-running franchise beginning with its 14th season the fall of 2015 while remaining the host of the Bachelor franchise. Harrison co-hosted ABC's live coverage of The Miss America Pageant for the past four years and will again in 2015. He first hosted the iconic broadcast on ABC in 2004. Additional hosting credits include Emmys Red Carpet Live at the 2012 Primetime Emmys; ABC's 2011 American Music Awards Red Carpet; live television coverage of the final championship rounds of The 2010 Scripps National Spelling Bee on ABC; ABC's 2008 American Music Awards Red Carpet Live!, and Road to the 60th Primetime Emmy® Awards, ABC.com's daily coverage leading up to the 2008 Primetime Emmy Awards.

In a departure from his many broadcast endeavors, Harrison is turning to the written page, as he pens his first book -- an emotional, passionate and suspenseful novel entitled *The Perfect Letter*. The romantic novel, published by Harper Collins, will be out on May 19.

The versatile Harrison has done his fair share of acting as well, with roles in the popular television series *Alias*, *The Practice*, *Six Feet Under*, and *Sabrina the Teenage Witch*. His feature film appearances include *Bounce*, *Showtime*, and portraying himself in the comedy *Date Movie*.

In his spare time, Harrison still plays soccer and has become addicted to golf. He has developed a great appreciation for the weather and lifestyle of Southern California and spends as much time as possible outdoors with his son, Joshua (b. 2002), and daughter Taylor (b. 2004).

On February 13, 2021, he announced that he would be temporarily stepping aside from the franchise after facing criticism for defending *Bachelor* contestant Rachael Kirkconnell as she was accused of racism. On June 8, 2021, he announced his official departure from the *Bachelor* franchise.

He began a relationship with *Entertainment Tonight* reporter and journalist, Lauren Zima, in 2018. They were married in November 2023.