Was Kaitlyn Bristowe blindsided by losing the Bachelorette hosting job? She broke her silence about Jesse Palmer taking over the gig. Read on for all the details.
Jesse Palmer to host Season 19
During the After the Final Rose special following the Season 26 Bachelor finale, Jesse Palmer dropped several bombshells on the live audience.
For one, he named the next Bachelorette. Two of them. Clayton Echard’s contestants Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia will serve as dual leads on the upcoming season. It appears the network has yet to iron out the details on the surprising announcement.
Furthermore, Palmer shared that he would be the host. Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams previously hosted the last two seasons – 17 and 18 – of The Bachelorette.
The hosting changes came after Chris Harrison’s scandalous exit following Season 25 of The Bachelor.
Jesse Palmer took over for Season 26, but it wasn’t initially clear if he was the permanent host for all the franchise’s spin-offs. Now it seems the network is going ahead with the Bachelor alum as full-time host. What does Kaitlyn have to say about it?
Kaitlyn Bristowe blinded by losing Bachelorette hosting job?
Kaitlyn Bristowe has had a busy year. In addition to co-hosting Bachelorette, she took part in the Dancing With The Stars live tour. She also got engaged to boyfriend Jason Tartick.
Despite her busy schedule, she revealed on her podcast that she had hoped to host Season 19 of The Bachelorette to help Rachel and Gabby maneuver a joint season. As fans recall, Bristowe was part of the franchise’s first double Bachelorette for Season 11.
However, her co-lead, Britt Nilsson, was sent home on the first night after a vote from the suitors.
On her Off the Vine podcast, Kaitlyn seems to imply that she learned the hosting switch news at the same time as viewers. “I saw at the end of the finale Jesse [Palmer] was announcing the two Bachelorettes, and he said he was going to be by their side for that.”
According to Us Weekly, Bristowe was disappointed at losing the job. “I think it makes sense to have a woman being there for them. … I will be sad.”
However, she thinks that Jesse Palmer will be a “great host.”
So, was she blindsided by the news? Maybe not.
Another source told Us Weekly in a second article that both Kaitlyn and Tayshia were given a heads up before the official announcement. The women “needed to know in advance for contractual reasons.”
The same source also claims the network went with the “safe choice” of Jesse Palmer.
What she plans to do instead
Jason Tartick recently revealed that his wedding to Kaitlyn Bristowe likely won’t happen this year. The couple hoped for a fall 2022 wedding in Nashville.
However, the Restart Roadmap author said difficulty finding a wedding venue may push the wedding back a year.
Kaitlyn Bristowe said on her podcast episode that not hosting The Bachelorette will give her more time at home. Wedding planning topped her to-do list.
“I also do want to prioritize being at home with Jason and the [dogs] and start planning my wedding and catch up on my businesses,” she said.
Do you think Kaitlyn Bristowe was blindsided by losing the hosting gig or did she know before the announcement? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger