Everything to Know About Chris Harrison’s ‘Traditional’ Dating Show After ‘Bachelor’ Exit

Chris Harrison is officially back in the dating show business — and this time, the project is entirely his own.

Nearly five years after his exit from The Bachelor, the longtime host opened up to Us Weekly about the new reality dating series he created with wife Lauren Zima.

“My wife and I sold and created and executive produced a show that’s on Fox Nation. It’s coming out this fall,” Harrison exclusively told Us in July 2026. “It’s the dating love show I’ve always wanted to do.”

Keep scrolling to learn more about Harrison’s new project:

Chris Harrison Built Fox Nation Dating Show From the Ground Up

Following his years hosting The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise, Harrison built his new series alongside Zima.

“My wife and I got to create it from start to finish, and it’s very different. I didn’t create The Bachelor, I hosted it for a lot of years,” he told Us in July 2026. “I got up the ranks where I was producing, but it wasn’t my baby. And so this is my baby.”

Chris Harrison’s New Show Centers on ‘Traditional’ Marriage

Harrison first teased the series’ concept in February 2026, posting a casting call via Instagram seeking singles who want a “traditional, marriage-minded partnership.”

The announcement teased that the project would be cast by “a prominent streaming service” and called for applicants 21 and older “who believe in clear roles, long-term commitment and building a life together — and who are dating with real intention.”

Chris Harrison and Wife Lauren Zima Join Dr. Phil McGraw’s Network

Harrison and Zima previously announced in March 2024 that they were joining Dr. Phil McGraw‘s network, Merit Street Media, to develop both a dating series and a talk show.

“It has dating elements in it, but this is so different and so novel,” McGraw told Entertainment Tonight at the time of the romance-based show. “It is flipping the script in a way that I think people are gonna become addicted to it in a week.”

Harrison, for his part, promised viewers plenty of drama.

“People got to know and love me for two decades hosting The Bachelor, so, yes, we are going to be creating a reality dating show,” he said at the time. “For years and years, I said, ‘This is the most dramatic show ever.’ We want to create a show where those words actually ring true, so this dating show will be the most dramatic ever — that you can be sure of.”

Revisiting Chris Harrison’s ‘Bachelor’ Exit

Harrison hosted The Bachelor from its 2002 premiere through 2021, when he stepped aside amid backlash over comments he made defending season 25 contestant Rachael Kirkconnell. During a February 2021 interview with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay, Harrison asked fans to give Kirkconnell “grace” after photos surfaced of her attending an antebellum-themed college party.

He later apologized publicly, stating, “I stand against all forms of racism, and I am deeply sorry. I’m sorry to Rachel Lindsay, and I’m sorry to the Black community. To anyone who is throwing hate toward Rachel Lindsay, please stop. It is unacceptable.”

ABC and Warner Horizon announced his permanent departure that June. Harrison was briefly replaced by ex-Bachelorettes Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe before Jesse Palmer took over the mantle for good in 2022.

Chris Harrison Is Unbothered by Taylor Frankie Paul Drama

While Harrison remained focused on his new project, Bachelor Nation has faced turmoil after Taylor Frankie Paul’s season 22 of The Bachelorette was pulled from broadcast in March 2026 following resurfaced footage of a 2023 domestic violence incident involving ex Dakota Mortensen.

Asked whether the network should still air Paul’s season, Harrison declined to weigh in.

“All of this just makes me more excited about my new show,” Harrison told Us exclusively in July 2026. “The more and more I see it, it’s not just that situation, it’s all the shows I’m watching. I’m just excited to bring something different.”

This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.