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Last week Page Six revealed that “Saturday Night Live” legend David Spade would guest host “Bachelor in Paradise” following the ignominious exit of Chris Harrison from the long-running reality franchise.
Now we’ve learned that an array of other stars will also guest host. NSYNC star Lance Bass, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” star Tituss Burgess and rapper Lil Jon will take turns helming the show.
We’re told the hosts will “rotate” during the season, though it’s not yet clear how many shows each star will front.
The colorful slate is something of a departure from the staid Harrison, who — it was announced Tuesday — is leaving the entire “Bachelor” franchise after getting embroiled in a race row.
A source had told us that producers picked Spade because they thought the show was becoming “too serious” and wanted to add a dose of humor. And insiders say the other stars have been picked for their strong personalities and to “breathe personality” into the tropical dating show and bring “different perspectives” to it.
Lil Jon once guest-starred on the show in 2018, and Spade is a huge fan of the franchise. It’s not immediately clear what connection, if any, Bass and Burgess have to the ABC show.
Harrison became tangled in a scandal after photos surfaced in February of recent “Bachelor” contestant Rachael Kirkconnell attending an antebellum-themed fraternity formal in 2018.
When asked about the shots on “Extra,” Harrison defended her, saying, “We all need to have a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion.”
“Because I have seen some stuff online — this judge, jury, executioner thing — where people are just tearing this girl’s life apart and diving into, like, her parents, her parents’ voting record,” he added. “It’s unbelievably alarming to watch this. I haven’t heard Rachael speak on this yet. And until I actually hear this woman have a chance to speak, who am I to say any of this?”
He also said the “woke police” had come for Kirkconnell.
He later wrote on Instagram, “While I do not speak for Rachael Kirkconnell, my intentions were simply to ask for grace in offering her an opportunity to speak on her own behalf.” He added, “What I now realize I have done is cause harm by wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism, and for that I am so deeply sorry.”
He previously announced that he would be “stepping aside” from the show for an unspecified period of time, but now the network says he’s leaving for good.
He had hosted “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette” and “Bachelor in Paradise” since they debuted in 2002, 2003 and 2014, respectively.
He had already been replaced on “The Bachelorette” by former “Bachelorettes” Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe. It’s not yet clear who will take over on “The Bachelor.”
ABC confirmed the news about the guest hosts to Page Six.
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