"You Don't Own Rose Petals!" Fox Nation Just Fired Back At The Bachelor's Producers Over Chris Harrison's New Show

Grab your popcorn, because the most dramatic rose ceremony of the week is happening in a LEGAL INBOX. Warner Bros. TV and Fox Nation are in a full-blown letter war over Chris Harrison's new dating show, "The Vow" and yes, it involves rose petals.

The Tea ☕

• Warner Bros. TV (the studio behind The Bachelor) sent Fox Nation a cease-and-desist over promos for Harrison's new show, The Vow.
• Fox Nation fired back, calling the claims "meritless" and the move "malicious and vindictive."
• The Vow premieres Nov. 11 with six weekly episodes.

The Cease-And-Desist

According to a letter obtained by Variety and dated Sept. 18, WBTV argues the Vow promos look like "a plain attempt to capitalize on and 'ride on the coattails'" of The Bachelor franchise.

The receipts WBTV pointed to? Red roses. Falling rose petals. A mansion in the background that they say is meant to evoke the iconic Bachelor Mansion. Deadline adds that the letter also objected to the words "The Bachelor" appearing in the teaser, followed by a man in a tux holding a rose.

Worth noting: WB's letter says it has "no objection" to a dating show hosted by Harrison in itself. The beef is with how it's being promoted.

Fox Nation Said: Respectfully, No

Fox's reply, dated Sept. 24, did NOT come to play. Its lawyers wrote that WB doesn't hold "any rights whatsoever in a falling roses motif or in the words 'The Bachelor' when used colloquially to describe a single man," per TMZ.

The best part? Fox argues falling rose petals are a stock romance trope seen in everything from American Beauty to Moulin Rouge to Beauty and the Beast, and that WB "cannot keep for itself a trope it has borrowed from others." We are NOT okay.

They also say any wink at The Bachelor is protected wordplay under the First Amendment, and accuse WB of targeting Harrison himself.

The Mic Drop Ending

Fox signed off with the show's own catchphrase: "'The Vow' exhorts its participants and viewers to 'Choose Love.' We trust Warner Bros. will do the same and drop its pursuit of these meritless claims."

Yes, really. A legal letter with a CATCHPHRASE.

Wait, What Is The Vow Anyway?

Per Variety, the series follows eligible bachelor Jace Cates as he dates 10 women, with a focus on faith, shared values, communication and long-term goals. Fox pitches it as a counterpoint to dating culture driven by "fleeting connections and social media attention."

Harrison hosted The Bachelor and its spinoffs from 2002 to 2021 and had a controversial exit from the franchise. TMZ notes the promo features him saying "Roses fade, true love lasts forever," which TMZ calls an apparent dig at his previous employers. Fox hasn't said that's what it means, so we'll let you decide.

Warner Bros. has yet to comment further, according to Deadline.

So Who's Right?

We're not lawyers, and nobody has filed a lawsuit yet, so this is just two very polite-but-furious letters for now. But with the premiere weeks away, this one could keep going.

Is a rose petal a trade secret, or is Warner Bros. overreaching? Team Warner Bros. or Team Chris Harrison? Sound off below.

Sources: Variety | Deadline | TMZ