"I do believe I could have done more," Fleiss said about the franchise's lack of diversity in light of the report surrounding his departure after 21 years with the ABC dating mainstay.
00:00The Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss is responding to a report that his recent exit from the franchise was amid an investigation into racial discrimination.
00:09Earlier this week, Fleiss announced that he was leaving the franchise after more than two decades working on The Bachelor and its various spinoffs.
00:16However, Variety published a report on Thursday stating that Warner Bros. Television conducted an investigation after several employees, including current producers, as well as former production staffers, lodged complaints against Fleiss that included alleged bullying, which led to his exit.
00:32In a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter, Fleiss did not directly address the investigation, but said that he should have stepped up efforts to make the franchise more diverse.
00:41Since its premiere 21 years ago, times have certainly changed, and I'd have to say we didn't keep up with the pace of those changes.
00:49I am proud of the work we've done over the past five years to make the show substantially more diverse, but I do believe I could have done more.
00:55Hopefully, the franchise will continue to move in the right direction.
00:59In his statement, Fleiss added that he believed that throughout his tenure, he had more good days than bad, lifted more spirits than hurt feelings, and that he leaves with more friends than foe.
01:09Claire Freeland, Jason Ehrlich, and Bennett Graibner were named executive producers and showrunners for the franchise, and have already begun working on the upcoming season of The Bachelorette, which stars Charity Lawson.
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