Wait, Is Jesse Palmer Returning to Host Season 19 of 'The Bachelorette'?
Published March 16 2022, 11:48 a.m. ET
After Clayton Echard strung both Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia along to meet his family, only to initiate a group breakup in his final days as the lead of The Bachelor, we can't help but let out a sigh of relief that this dumpster fire is finally over.
Well, it's over for Clayton, but not for Gabby and Rachel; during the "After the Final Rose" special on March 15, 2022, ABC officially announced that the ICU nurse and pilot would be co-Bachelorettes in Season 19!
"I'm so happy for [Gabby], I truly am. It's crazy, this is insane," Rachel shared at the live event. "I'm excited to do this journey with [Gabby]. We did it once together, and we've been through the most crazy experience together."
Honestly, we couldn't think of two more deserving women to helm the next installment, and we're so excited to follow along on their journey to find love. Now, we know someone has to guide them through the process, so who will host Season 19 of The Bachelorette?
Who will host 'The Bachelorette' in 2022?
Former Bachelor lead Jesse Palmer initially stepped in to replace franchise veteran Chris Harrison as host of Season 26 of The Bachelor, and it seems the 43-year-old has secured a deal with ABC to return as host of The Bachelorette in 2022.
After Rachel and Gabby joined Jesse on stage at the "After the Final Rose" live special, the former NFL quarterback revealed that he would embark on the journey with them, informing them that they're "gonna figure this whole thing out together."
ABC's decision to name Jesse Palmer as host of The Bachelorette received mixed reviews. Though many agree that Jesse improved significantly as a host since the disastrous "Women Tell All" episode, others hoped to hear that former Bachelorette leads Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams would take on hosting duties again.
"Why can't the Bachelor franchise let a woman or women host The Bachelorette? What is Jesse going to do that will emotionally support these two amazing women through their journey? Nothing," @kylieec14 wrote on Twitter.
@blackchorette added, "Did I hear Jesse say he’s going to be on the journey with the Bachelorettes? Watching you host Clayton’s season was like seeing paint dry. Is this another case of a mediocre man pushing exceptional women out of a job? Bring back Tayshia and Kaitlyn!"
When can fans expect Season 19 of 'The Bachelorette'?
Following the historic Bachelorette announcement, the Executive VP of ABC’s Unscripted Content, Robert Mills, tweeted that the network will "give Bachelor Nation a break" and that Season 19 of The Bachelorette will premiere on July 11, 2022. Truthfully, after the trainwreck that was Season 26 of The Bachelor, we are pretty thankful to step away from this franchise for a few months.
According to Reality Steve, filming for Season 19 of The Bachelorette starts on March 19, 2022. The blogger added that men vying for Gabby and Rachel's hearts are already in Los Angeles and are self-isolating ahead of shooting. We don't know about you, but we can't wait to meet them!