Claire Freeland and Bennett Graebner, Showrunners of ‘The Bachelor,’ to Leave the Show Due to Accusations of a “Toxic” Work Environment

Executive producers and showrunners Claire Freeland and Bennett Graebner from The Bachelor are relinquishing their positions. Despite being still involved in Grant Ellis’ current season, which is reaching its final stages, negotiations are underway for them to exit the franchise.

This news follows a report from Deadline last month, which revealed allegations of a “hostile” work environment behind the scenes.

After that report, several long-time crew members, including co-executive producers Michael Margolis (Freeland’s husband) and Keely Booth, resigned.

Representatives from ABC, the network that airs The Bachelor, and Warner Bros. Television, its producer, have yet to comment on the matter.

Appointed as showrunners in 2023 after the departure of The Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss, Freeland and Graebner have been steering the program. Fleiss, who founded the show in 2002, stepped down amidst investigations of racial discrimination at WBTV. The duo, along with Jason Ehrlich, who exited after the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor, have been overseeing the series since then.

ABC revealed in February that following Ellis’ time on The Bachelor, there would be no new installment of The Bachelorette. Additionally, the franchise will see the comeback of Bachelor in Paradise this summer after a hiatus since fall 2023.

Additionally, The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette were successful in the past two years, though renewals have not yet been confirmed.

Freeland previously worked on both the Canadian editions of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, serving as an executive producer from 2014 to 2017.

Graebner, who has been part of the franchise since 2008, has contributed to every season and various spinoffs, including Listen to Your Heart, Winter Games, and Bachelor Pad.