Irony of ironies: The longtime-married host of ‘The Bachelor‘ and ‘The Bachelorette’ is now a bachelor himself. E! News reported this Thursday that Chris Harrison has separated from his wife of 18 years, Gwen Jones.

According to a joint statement, Harrison and Jones arrived at the decision after “much heartfelt consideration.” The couple said that, “Though we have made this incredibly difficult decision to separate, our love and mutual respect remain, and we look forward to sharing in the lives of our wonderful children.”

In Touch Weekly earlier reported their split.  The former high school sweethearts have two children together.

The celebrity ex-couple remain close friends. Chris Harrison and Gwen Jones amicably shares custody of 9-year-old son Joshua and 7-year-old daughter Taylor.

They were even seen together. Notably, ‘The Bachelor’ host threw a birthday party for his ex-wife Gwen Jones in Las Vegas this January.

Chris Harrison, 40, has presided over 16 seasons of ‘The Bachelor,’ two seasons of ‘Bachelor Pad,’ and seven seasons of ‘The Bachelorette.’ The last program’s eighth season will premiere on May 14 with Emily Maynard taking over hosting duties.

Earlier, Maynard accepted contestant Brad Womack’s proposal during the climax of the 15th season of ’The Bachelor.’ But Emily Maynard refused to join her supposed fiancé in Texas, which quickly led to obvious fractures in their relationship.

Asked if they had a chance, ‘The Bachelor‘ host Chris Harrison told Reality TV World that, ”It’s absolutely easy for everybody in the magazines and radio and TV to say they’re going to break up. I mean, that’s just easy, and they’re easy to take shots at. Couples always are. I mean, statistically, your neighbors are going to get divorced tomorrow.”

The reality shows The Bachelor and The Bachelorette are currently under fire after two African Americans filed a lawsuit against the shows, accusing them of racial bias.

According to reports, two African Americans filed a class-action suit against The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, claiming that the ABC dating shows intentionally ostracize people of color. The two men said they went to a Nashville hotel to audition for the role of bachelor. Christopher Johnson – an aspiring NFL player – claims when he arrived, a producer asked him what he was doing there. Johnson and the other plaintiff, Nathaniel Claybrooks, both said they were taken to the side of the room and left out of the normal audition process. Neither of the two African Americans were called back, and they believe it’s because of their race.

Representatives for Nathaniel Claybrooks, who was described as an “All-American football player,” and Christopher Johnson, described as an “aspiring National Football League player,” contend that both shows over the last ten years and 23 combined seasons have never featured a person of color in the central role of “The Bachelor” or “The Bachelorette.”

Among those being named in the class-action lawsuit of the two African Americans are ABC Inc., Warner Horizon Television Inc. and executive producer Mike Fleiss.

This is not the first time The Bachelor has been accused of racism. Shawn Ryan, the creator of “The Shield” and “The Unit,” last year slammed producers of The Bachelor after they defended the lack of cultural diversity. Mike Fleiss insisted that the reason why a person of color had not been cast in the main role of the series was because minorities had not “come forward.”