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'Bachelorette' Season 16 premiere postponed

"Bachelorette" host Chris Harrison confirmed that Season 16, starring Clare Crawley, will be delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
"Bachelorette" host Chris Harrison confirmed that Season 16, starring Clare Crawley, will be delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

April 10 (UPI) -- ABC is officially postponing the premiere of The Bachelorette Season 16.

Host Chris Harrison confirmed in an interview with Entertainment Tonight published Friday that the season, starring Clare Crawley, will be delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Harrison said The Bachelorette will be the franchise's No. 1 priority once production resumes.

"It's crushing us right now. We know that this too shall pass and there are bigger problems and bigger fish to fry, but we really wish we were making an incredible show with Clare," he said.

Harrison said the Season 16 cast would be halfway done with filming by now if production had gone as planned.

"Clare might be narrowing down finding the love of her life. How exciting -- and I hate that that is stolen from her at this particular time," he said.

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Harrison hopes to film the season this summer but said the cast might not "have time to do it all," depending on when production is able to resume.

ABC shut down Season 16 in mid-March following the COVID-19 outbreak. Harrison said in an Instagram video at the time that filming would initially be suspended for two weeks.

"In two weeks, we will reassess where we are in the world and figure out what's happening, if we can move forward. Things are not changing by the day, they're changing by the hour," he said.

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The Bachelor spinoff The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart will air May 18 in place of the Bachelorette Season 16 premiere. Listen to Your Heart features 20 singles hoping to connect through music, and premieres Monday.

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