‘Bachelorette’ host changes were ‘very needed’
The Season 17 premiere of “The Bachelorette” featured the usual antics – a pickup-truck ball pit, a cat costume, a lifesize gift-wrapped box, and a brewing brawl between suitors – but a familiar face was absent: After Season 25 of “The Bachelor,” one colored by controversy – including his own racially insensitive remarks – longtime host Chris Harrison stepped away from the franchise indefinitely.
Following Monday’s premiere, hosted by former “Bachelorettes” Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe, Harrison announced that he is parting ways with Bachelor Nation after nearly 20 years. Now, Adams and Bristowe are left to usher Bachelorette Katie Thurston into the spotlight, and the franchise into a new era, as as one of reality TV’S most successful properties tries to regain its footing .
Though “good vibes only” was the mantra of the season premiere, “Bachelor” fans are fiercely split, some rejoicing at Harrison’s departure while others are reeling. The Times spoke to Adams and Bristowe about filling Harrison’s shoes, how they’re supporting the new “Bachelorette,” and what they say to fans fed up with the franchise’s reluctance to change.
Question: In the premiere, you all emphasized the importance of reinforcing Katie’s confidence and being a supportive “girl gang.” How do you all foster that mentorship throughout the season, and how do you intend to equip Katie for the emotional toll of this process?
Tayshia Adams: I think we let Katie have her own journey, but definitely are there for her when she needs us. This is her show. She’s calling all the shots. But it does get really tough at times. The fact that she can call us at any point and say, “Look, I’m falling for several people: How do I navigate this? I’m scared to be vulnerable and open.” That’s really where we come in and our role changes day by day, just depending on what Katie needs.
Kaitlyn Bristowe: Yeah, it’s a complete different perspective that she gave us and we gave her. Like Tayshia said, it was nice to be able to relate and know that we could validate her feelings and say, “We’ve been in your position.” There’s few other people that can say that they’ve been in her position.
Q: Do you wish you had someone from a previous season guiding you when it was your turn?
Adams: I think we both can agree that we wish that we had mentors on our seasons. I did have Rachel (Lindsay) and Jojo (Fletcher) come and help me on my season, but it was honestly for a mere few hours. It wasn’t a day-to-day thing. It was really nice actually to go through this journey with her.
Bristowe: 1,000% percent. Just hearing it from Katie gave us a lot of confidence that we helped her. She often says that it helped her so much to have women there that can say, “We relate to how you’re feeling, and even when you want to give up, we did too. That’s OK. Keep going.” I definitely could have used that. We were just down the hall at all times on standby.
Q: What was your gut reaction upon being asked to come into this role, especially as you are the first women to be hosting?
Adams: When I got the phone call, it was very unexpected. At the same time, I have definitely spoken out about being an advocate for wanting change within the franchise.