‘Bachelor’ Co-Executive Producers Exit Franchise
Two co-executive producers have exited The Bachelor franchise. Michael Margolis and Keely Booth have stepped down from their roles, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Their departures come amid recent reports of an alleged toxic workplace at the ABC and Warner Bros. TV-produced reality series, of which The Bachelor is one of several series under their umbrella.
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The franchise also includes the female-led The Bachelorette, which ABC abruptly put on pause last month. ABC didn’t give a reason, or comment on if or when the female-led spinoff would return, when announcing that season 22 wouldn’t air in The Bachelorette‘s usual summer spot.
Deadline, however, reported that the hiatus prompted many crew members to lose their jobs. A dozen former and current producers on the franchise, who spoke to Deadline anonymously, then accused showrunners and executive producers Claire Freeland and Bennett Graebner of running a “toxic” and “hostile” environment. (An attorney for Freeland and Graebner said they were “stunned and saddened by some of the things they are hearing now for the first time.”)
Margolis and Booth, who previously worked on the Canada versions of The Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise, offered their resignations, per a source. Margolis is married to Freeland.
Following years of controversy involving the franchise, creator Mike Fleiss exited his role in early 2023 after 21 years at the helm of the reality dating juggernaut. Freeland, who had previously run The Bachelor in Canada, joined the U.S. show in January 2023. Graebner, who had worked on the franchise since 2008, and Jason Ehrlich, who has been involved in the franchise for over 20 years, were elevated in Fleiss’ place. Executive producers Nicole Woods, Peter Geist and Louis Caric reportedly exited the franchise at that time.
Ehrlich later left as well, though it’s not clear when. He was still in his post when the producers were pressed by the Television Critics’ Association about the franchise’s diversity woes in early 2024, and a later interview for the Los Angeles Times addressing a cycle of racism. At the time, Freeland and Graebner called it a priority to cast a Black Bachelor, which they did with Grant Ellis for the currently airing 29th season of The Bachelor. Jodi Baskerville, who became the franchise’s first Black executive producer in 2021, left in early 2024.
Warner Bros. Television Group told Deadline the studio was looking into complaints in their report: “We take a healthy workplace culture and safe production environment incredibly seriously, which is why in recent years we’ve made meaningful improvements to our on-set policies and practices. We are committed, in conjunction with ABC, to continue evolving the way The Bachelor franchise productions operate so that our employees and cast feel comfortable and heard.”
Meanwhile, in addition to The Bachelor, spinoff series Bachelor in Paradise returns from its hiatus this summer, after last airing in 2023 with season 10. The Golden Bachelor and Golden Bachelorette have also been added to the franchise’s slate, with a second season officially greenlit for the former.
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