Emmanuel Acho Is Hosting 'The Bachelor's' After The Final Rose Special This Season
Emmanuel Acho is the new host for The Bachelor's "After The Final Rose" special, which he describes as the "most uncomfortable conversation in the history of The Bachelor franchise."
He is a former NFL player and best-selling author of Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man.
Emmanuel also hosts a Fox sports show, Speak for Yourself, and is a musician.
Weeks after longtime Bachelor host Chris Harrison announced that he would be "stepping aside for a period of time" amid controversy over racially-insensitive statements made during an interview with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay, the franchise shared that someone new will be hosting the "After the Final Rose" special: Emmanuel Acho.
Emmanuel, author of Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man, made the announcement on Instagram on Feb. 27. "IT’S OFFICIAL: I’ve accepted the Rose and am honored to be hosting the @bachelorabc After the Final Rose this year," he captioned a photo of himself holding red rose. "It’s been a pivotal season, and this episode will hopefully be one of the most storied shows in TV history. Empathy is needed and change is coming. Share the news! I’ll see y’all then! ?? ??."
Rachel and her husband, Bryan Abasolo, actually suggested Emmanuel as a replacement host after her interview with Chris, during which he defended the past racist actions of contestant Rachael Kirkconnell. "We think Emmanuel Acho would be fantastic," the reality TV personality told People in late February.
Emmanuel revealed his "very, very, very simple" mission for his new hosting gig on Good Morning America: “Allow my white brothers and sisters who have watched the show and fell in love with Matt’s story to understand that Matt’s love story and his journey of love is different than other journeys of love, particularly because of his complexion and his skin color.”
While Emmanuel is well known in several circles, he’s not a household name with everyone—yet. Here’s what you need to know about the After the Final Rose host.
He’s a best-selling author.
Emmanuel released his book in November 2020, and it instantly became a New York Times and Amazon bestseller. He described his book in his Instagram post as "a book that answers all the racial questions you’ve been too afraid to ask," before adding, "go read it." The book explains systemic racism and talks about the uncomfortable conversations and questions that need to take place before change can happen. The book also covers white privilege, cultural appropriation, and "reverse racism," and encourages everyone to work to fight racism.
Emmanuel is a former NFL player.
He was a linebacker in the NFL for four years. After being drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2012, he also played for the Philadelphia Eagles.
He’s a sports commentator, too.
These days, Emmanuel is co-host of the Fox sports show, Speak for Yourself. On his show, he discusses players, potential trades, and team management—and he’s not afraid to give his honest opinion.
The king of uncomfortable convos isn't afraid to speak up.
Some people have criticized Emmanuel being chosen as the ATFR host, given that he’s not part of the Bachelor universe. So, he posted about it in his Instagram Story. "To those in the comments saying, 'he’s unqualified to host': 1. I wrote NYT best selling book (2020) for YOU! Purposed for racial reconciliation, answering so many questions people have, but never ask. Knowledge is [key] so help yourself," he wrote. "2. I hope [sic] a daily show. 3: See 1 & 2."
Emmanuel has his ABC The Bachelor binder and is excited for his new gig.
Emmanuel is a musician, too.
As if the multi-hyphenate doesn’t do enough already, he has plenty of Instagram Story posts of himself playing the piano and singing.
He’s all about unity.
Emmanuel made that very clear in his Bachelor Instagram post. "I love being a bridge for reconciliation," he wrote. "Our world is disconnected & divided, my goal is to unify."
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