Chris Harrison has blasted the events surrounding his exit from 'The Bachelor' as 'toxic' ... which kickstarted following a racism scandal.
He says the backlash he endured after defending ex-'Bachelor' contestant Rachael Kirkconnell for attending a plantation-themed party while in college was tumultuous ... praying his worst enemy doesn't go through the same experience he went through 2 years earlier.
Speaking on Jason Tartick's "Trading Secrets" podcast, Chris says he initially thought the situation was something he could've figured out with show execs ... but things escalated to the point he knew he had to remove himself from the situation.
It was a bittersweet moment for Chris ... he wasn't ready to leave the show he'd been hosting since 2002 ... but he was ultimately proud of his decision to walk away.
He adds there's no hard feelings because the show was a blessing ... changing his life financially.
Jesse Palmer ended up taking over hosting duties -- and as for Chris, he found his own happy ending ... tying the knot with ET host Lauren Zima in November.