EVERY ROSE HAS ITS THORN

‘Bachelor’ Franchise Rocked Again by ‘Toxic’ Workplace Allegations

The reality TV show might be about finding love on camera, but there’s reportedly no love lost behind the scenes.

Amid the departure of several key staff members and the outright cancellation of this year’s The Bachelorette, crew members, including executive producers, on the long-running Bachelor franchise have accused showrunners Claire Freeland and Bennett Graebner of creating a “hostile” atmosphere, Deadline reports. Allegations include verbal abuse, “passive-aggressive” behavior, and poor communication. “They sit behind their closed doors. They don’t walk around the office, they don’t talk to people… I’ve never seen such horrendous leadership,” a former producer told Deadline. Freeland and Graebner deny the accusations, while an investigation is underway. (“My clients are well-respected professionals with a long history in this business,” Michael Weinsten, Freeland and Graebner’s lawyer, told Deadline in a statement, adding: “They are frankly stunned and saddened by some of the things they are hearing now for the first time.”) This is not the first time the Bachelor, a reality TV mainstay, has come under criticism, even from those within its own ranks. Its lack of racial diversity—in front and behind the camera—has long been highlighted as an issue, as have broader concerns surrounding contestants’ welfare. The show’s creator, Mike Fleiss, stepped down in 2023 after an earlier investigation into workplace conduct and alleged “racial discrimination.”