Chris Harrison: International Man of the Year
Chris Harrison, the Oklahoma City University alum, media mogul and producer best known for hosting his popular Bachelor franchise, was back in Oklahoma City in September to receive his fraternity’s highest honor: the Kappa Sigma International Man of the Year, an honor he almost didn’t accept.
“My initial instinct was that I really do not want to do this,” Harrison says. “I was honored, but I wasn’t sure, so I called two of my best friends and said ‘Should I?’ and if I do, then what can I do? How can I use the opportunity to help?” Each International Man of the Year typically creates a scholarship, which Harrison did, but he wanted to do something more.
“Ultimately the main reason we decided to go ahead was that OCU is a smaller school – this kind of light isn’t usually shone on it. And we realized that it was a springboard to raise the funds to build a new fraternity house for the brothers at OCU. We have raised more than three quarters of the funds needed, and we will break ground in the spring,” he says.
Harrison’s time in Oklahoma City was formative for him. When asked about his core values, he sounds much more Oklahoman than most native Texans (just kidding) and definitely more Oklahoman than many Hollywood types. “I guess I would say, I am a man of faith and I value loyalty. I’m trustworthy, always. In life and in work. I try to stay steady and do what I need to do.”
Before the roses, Harrison spent years in rose-rock country, as a sports reporter here in the Oklahoma City market. That was in the middle 1990s, which means he was a reporter when the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was attacked by a domestic terrorist. That event, which changed Oklahoma forever, also changed Harrison. Its 25th anniversary is in April, and Harrison grew silent for a moment when asked how covering that event changed him.
“That day was so impactful and changed so many lives, and it was terrifying for all of us but ironically there were so many positives, as well. Everyone immediately just stepped up. There was no panic at the news station, people bravely stood up and did their jobs. I saw it all first-hand, and it took a while to process. We didn’t go off the air for days, and I remember looking to the sort of elder statesmen in the newsroom and I saw them stay calm, so I stayed calm and worked. That was important. Through that tragedy, people didn’t falter. It’s a perspective I’ve kept with me,” Harrison says.
Staying calm and focusing on the work is key in a business like his. He does still occasionally encounter a situation, or person, that rattles him, but those are few and far between. When asked if he’s ever been nervous to interview someone, he immediately says “Jerry Seinfeld.” Do tell. “I’m a huge fan. He’s so smart, and I love his comedy. But he’s very East Coast, and I’d heard he’s a tough interview. And he is. I just dove in, and it really did not go great. He likes to make you sweat,” Harrison says, laughing. “George Clooney, on the other hand, is so gracious and nice. It’s like he knows it’s your job, so he tries to give you a good interview. Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are lovely, too. They stopped on a red carpet and said ‘It’s so weird; we always see you in our bedroom’, which was really sweet.”
The Bachelor and its offspring are certainly high-profile, and we couldn’t help but wonder, so we asked: would Harrison want his teenage son or daughter to be on his show? “I don’t know if I would want them to, but I wouldn’t stop them. I’d remind them that Dad is always watching!”