When Bachelor alum Jesse Palmer revealed to the world on the After the Final Rose episode that he would host Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey’s season 19 of The Bachelorette, some feathers were surely ruffled. No fault on Jesse’s part; Bachelor fans are impassioned, the role is highly coveted, and despite the controversial end to it, the legacy of Chris Harrison’s hosting career is a huge act to follow.
It’s been an ongoing saga since Chris stepped down in just 2021. It made sense then, that the franchise kept switching things up for a brief period, celebrity hosts for Bachelor in Paradise for example, and co-hosts for season 18’s Bachelorette in alums Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams. The interesting choice brought a sisterly dynamic to the show, having strong female hosts support the bachelorette on her journey rather than a male for the first time in nearly 2 decades.
following Jesse’s announcement, Kaitlyn who had been vying for the role, made a gutted statement on her off the Vine podcast, “I guess – spoiler alert – I’m not coming back. I saw at the end of the finale Jesse was announcing the two Bachelorettes, and he said he was going to be by their side for that,”
she noted her confidence in Jesse’s abilities as next season’s Bachelorette host, adding “I think Jesse’s amazing. … He’ll be a great host, and I hope he helps Gabby and Rachel in any way that he can.” Invested in the bachelorettes’ journeys, she added “I want to support Gabby and Rachel and be there for them so bad”.
Tayshia had a slightly different story from Kaitlyn, revealing to Us Weekly that the two actually found out about the decision firsthand, weeks in advance. At the March 27th Mercedes-Benz Oscar 2022 Viewing Party at the Los Angeles Four Seasons Hotel, she explained “Kaitlyn and I both had a phone call weeks prior saying that they were going to go forward with Jesse so it wasn’t really a surprise.”
She, like Kaitlyn, voiced her support for Jesse, adding, “I’m very happy for him. I feel like he’s been so sweet and kind to me, so I wish everybody that takes that position the very best and I’m excited to see the new season.”
Tayshia further revealed herself to be somewhat disassociated from her former Bachelorette life, explaining, “You know, I never really watched the show before I was on it. Believe it or not, I was a very new viewer and to be honest with you, I took a little bit of a step back and I’ve been so busy that I don’t even have a TV in my place. So no, I haven’t really watched too much, but I will watch.”
When asked as to whether she would ever return to host, she’s leaving the door open for now. She admitted, “I’m not going to lie — I feel like I definitely add to the diversity factor and progressing the show, so I would love to be a part of hosting or being a part of the franchise in the future, but as for now, I feel like they made a decision. It is what it is, and I’m just going to keep doing what’s best for me.”
It’s obvious the show is trying to get back to a softer, fatherly energy for the host, and although we appreciate that, we can’t help but feel the tragedy of losing Kaitlyn and Tayshia, our first ever, female-only hosts for the franchise. No discredit to Jesse, we will 100% miss the girl power factor next season.
TELL US- ARE YOU SAD TO SEE TAYSHIA AND KAITLYN GO AS BACHELORETTE HOSTS NEXT SEASON? ARE YOU ENJOYING JESSE’S AS HOST ON THIS SEASON OF THE BACHELOR?
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