Bachelor Nation’s Tanner Tolbert called the “Bachelor” franchise’s plans to insert a carousel of celebrity hosts a “circus.”
Tolbert — who met wife Jade Roper on “Bachelor in Paradise” in 2015 — reacted to the news that Tituss Burgess, David Spade, Lance Bass and Lil Jon will serve as rotating hosts on Season 7 of the “Bachelor” spinoff following Chris Harrison’s permanent departure.
“Don’t get me wrong… I loved David Spade in Tommy Boy… but I could care less about him handing out date cards or giving commentary. We watch the show to see relationships and drama … Not so see this ‘host’ circus. It takes away from the show in my opinion,” the father of three tweeted.
On Tuesday, Harrison announced his exit from “The Bachelor” after 19 years. He had previously stepped aside from the franchise in February over a racism controversy.
Tolbert, who first appeared on Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season of “The Bachelorette” in 2015, said the show needs to get its act together — and fast.
“I think the ‘Bachelor’ franchise needs to figure their s–t out, and figure it out quick, because I think the show is on a slippery slope right now, and I, as a fan of the show, first and foremost, I want to see it keep going,” Tolbert said on his Instagram Stories.
Noting he had recently viewed Katie Thurston’s Season 17 premiere of “The Bachelorette,” which is being co-hosted by Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams, Tolbert continued, “The host doesn’t need to be the star of the show.
Tolbert explained that his “rant” wasn’t about Harrison, 49, Bristowe, 35, or Adams, 29, but how the focus of the shows should be about what’s developing between participants on camera.
“I just want to watch real people meet on screen for the first time, date and then let the show take the twists and turns that unfold from there,” Tolbert said.
“The show used to do a good job of letting the drama unfold in real-time, and then making storylines out of that,” he continued. “Now, I feel like they’re trying to force the show down a set of tracks of what they think is good TV, and it’s coming off wrong.”
Tolbert added that he “hopes the show succeeds,” noting, “right now, it’s a train wreck.”
Harrison was embroiled in controversy earlier this year when he defended “Bachelor” contestant Rachael Kirkconnell after racially insensitive social media posts and actions from her past resurfaced — saying fans should offer Kirkconnell “a little grace, a little understanding.” He later apologized for “speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism.”
Harrison is said to have wanted a $25 million payout for his “Bachelor” exit, a source previously told Page Six.