According to Variety, "The Bachelor" creator Mike Fleiss
announced his departure from the reality franchise this week following
an investigation by Warner Bros. into allegations of racial
discrimination.
Warner Bros. TV and ABC both declined to comment on the report.
- At the time of his announcement, Fleiss provided no specific reason for his exit from the franchise after 21 years.
- According to Variety,
multiple employees -- including some prominent producers -- had
complained to human resources about Fleiss, which prompted the
investigation.
- Many of the allegations surrounded supposedly
"bullying" behavior, as well as resistance to repeated attempts to make
the franchise more racially diverse.
- Fleiss was quoted by one
staffer as saying "minorities don't get ratings," and allegedly
retaliated against employees who attempted to cast people of color on
"Bachelor" shows.
