UPDATE: Host Chris Harrison has offered more details on the suspension of The Bachelorette. Via an Instagram video, Harrison said production staff will reassess the matter in two weeks.
“It was not only the right thing to do, it was the only thing to do. But that doesn’t mean this decision wasn’t hard to make, because this will affect a lot of people,” he said, acknowledging that some of the show’s jobs will be cut throughout the duration of the shut-down.
“To my friend Clare,” Harrison added, “You are still my bachelorette and hopefully we’re still going to have the opportunity to help you find love and make this work.”
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Clare Crawley will have to wait just a bit longer to meet Mr. Right.
Season 16 of The Bachelorette, which was set to begin filming tonight, has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Warner Bros. Television Group announced the news in a statement on Friday, stating, ”With the rapidly changing events related to COVID-19, and out of an abundance of caution, Warner Bros. Television Group is halting production on some of our 70+ series and pilots currently filming or about to begin. There have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on any of our productions, but the health and safety of our employees, casts and crews remains our top priority. During this time, we will continue to follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control as well as local officials and public health professionals in each city where our productions are based.”
Earlier this week, ABC unveiled the 32 contestants vying for Clare’s affection.
When E! News recently spoke with Bachelor franchise host Chris Harrison, he expressed concern over the status of Bachelor in Paradise and The Bachelor: Summer Games, which had not officially been announced but was expected to follow a similar format as 2018’s The Bachelor: Winter Games.
“We were supposed to obviously travel internationally with Clare. We can’t,” he shared at the launch party for his Seagram’s Tropical Rosé. “So we’re gonna do the best we can.”
Harrison added, “Clearly [Bachelor in Paradise and Summer Games] is in jeopardy. I mean, you look at Paradise, down in Mexico, that’s not that far away… The whole premise of Summer Games is people come from international countries and join us. They’re not gonna be able to get into the country and they can’t travel, so yeah, that’s that’s very much in jeopardy.”
The Bachelorette Season 16 was set to premiere on Monday, May 18.
For the latest updates on COVID-19’s impact on more of your favorite shows, click here.
(This story was originally published on Friday, March 13, 2020 at 1:08 p.m. PST)