He said the controversy reflected “a much larger issue that The Bachelor franchise has fallen short on addressing adequately for years”.
In a statement posted to Instagram, James said the past few weeks had been “some of the most challenging of my life”.
“This moment has sparked critical conversations and reporting, raised important questions and resulted in inspiring displays of solidarity from The Bachelor nation,” he wrote.
James, who is the franchise’s first black Bachelor, said he found Harrison’s “failure to… understand the emotional labour that my friend [Lindsay] was taking on… troubling and painful to watch”.