ET: Did we have the wrong guy? Was it Ed who had the girlfriend, not Wes Hayden?
Chris Harrison: I've talked to Jillian twice in the last two days. She is definitely upset. Everything has been turned upside down for them. They are stressed out with all the publicity, because they kind of thought they were done and could live their lives. Now they have had this jump up on them. It is tough, but they are still together; they are still engaged. That has not changed. Someone reported she dumped him in Las Vegas. That is not true.
ET: But the two women in US magazine are saying they have e-mails from Ed?
Chris Harrison: The problem is the two girls cashed in and took a paycheck for the story in US, so, they kind of sold out, which is unfortunate. They sold out at the expense of Ed and Jillian. The problem is there is a shred of truth in there, which Jillian already knew about. But if there is a shred of truth, you can't fight the bull!@#$, so what are you going to do? There is not much she can do.
ET: Do you think all this controversy helps or hurts the show?
Chris Harrison: I was hoping with Jillian we would be hitting one right down the middle. I knew she was safe. She still is obviously. When she picked Ed, I thought, 'Great. We got a wedding. They will get married in a year. I think it will rekindle everybody's belief in the show and that it works.' One thing she told me on the phone the other day: 'Chris, I love this guy. I feel more for him than any man I ever have in my life.' So I know it works, and my faith in the show isn't shaken at all, but I hate that it might be for some of our fans.
They say there is no such thing as bad publicity, but it is weird, Jillian is a friend of mine. I hate for it to happen for them.
ET: We have three great guys from last season: Reid Rosenthal, Kiptyn Locke and Jake Pavelka. Who would you like to see as the next "The Bachelor?"
Chris Harrison: The thing is, there are some other guys -- I saw four or five resumes and tapes of people we have never heard of. Obviously, Kiptyn, Reid, Jake and, even Michael Stagliano, although I heard he is dating Holly Durst, one of our former bachelorettes. I don't know if that is true, but that is what I heard, so maybe he is off the market, but he was a favorite. So, Reid and Jake and Kiptyn are viable candidates. Like I told Jillian, you can't go wrong with any of those guys, because they would each give us very different shows.
ET: And, the question everyone wants a definite answer to: Did Wes have a girlfriend?
Chris Harrison: Honest, I don't know. But I do know this: Regardless of whether he was just breaking up or whatever the situation was, he was pretty insincere. And I will say this about Wes, who complained a lot about being edited. He should thank us and kiss our feet for how he was edited, because, believe me, we could have made him seem a lot worse than we did. We made him seem as good as we could. He should actually be thanking us.
If you were Jillian the Bachelorette, would you stick with Ed if the rumors began to swirl?
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