Claire Freeland and Bennett Graebner, the showrunners and executive producers of “The Bachelor,” are leaving the series. They are still at work on Grant Ellis’ current season of “The Bachelor,” which is nearing its end, but are negotiating their exits from the franchise.
Representatives for ABC, the network that airs “The Bachelor,” and Warner Bros. Television, which produces it, did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request to comment.
Freeland and Graebner took over as showrunners in 2023 following the tumultuous exit of “Bachelor” creator Mike Fleiss. Having created “The Bachelor” in 2002, Fleiss left after an investigation into allegations of racial discrimination was conducted by WBTV. Freeland and Graebner oversaw the reality series along with Jason Ehrlich, a perennial on ABC, who left after the first season of “The Golden Bachelor.”
In February, it was revealed that ABC would not be airing a new season of “The Bachelorette” following Ellis’ season of “The Bachelor.” The long-running franchise also includes “Bachelor in Paradise,” which is set to return this summer after not having aired since fall 2023, when ABC ran it as programming during the dual strikes. “The Golden Bachelor” and “The Golden Bachelorette” — both successes — aired in the last two years, but renewals have yet to be announced.
Freeland previously worked on “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” Canada editions, serving as an executive producer from 2014 to 2017. Graebner has been with the franchise since 2008, working on all seasons since as well as spinoffs “Listen to Your Heart,” “Winter Games” and “Bachelor Pad.”
