After Katie Thruston's season of The Bachelorette came to an end, Kaitlyn Bristowe took to her social media to express how honored she was to be a part of her season. The former lead herself joined Tayshia Adams as the cohosts of the reality dating series. Their new roles were announced shortly after Chris Harrison revealed he would be taking a step down as the host following his racially insensitive interview with Rachel Lindsay.
Not too long after Chris stepped down, it was confirmed the former host would not be returning to the franchise. What Chris lost is Kaitlyn's gain as she and Tayshia will now be taking over hosting duties again for Michelle Young's season of The Bachelorette. As for The Bachelor, which will air in January 2022, there has been no decision for a permanent host. However, both Kaitlyn and Tayshia signed deals to host multiple seasons, so it's likely they will be returning next year.
On Monday, the Alberta native shared a touching Instagram post where she looked back on her time as one of the hosts of The Bachelorette. "I just want to say thank you for opening up your hearts and homes to me and Tayshia every Monday night," Kaitlyn began. "I know change isn't easy for people, and I know we could never, nor do we ever want to, replace anyone [...] We wanted to make everyone smile and give Katie the validation she deserved." The 36-year-old, who is engaged, also acknowledged that while the journey was difficult, she was proud of Katie and her outcome on the show. "I hope it helped [Katie] to have two women there supporting her, relating to her, and understanding her," she said, adding, "At the end of the day, I'm just honored to be a part of this and can't wait to be by Michelle's side as well."
Kaitlyn then went on to express how grateful she was to have Tayshia as her fellow host. "I really got to you know you through this as well and I just love ya," she said of the former Bachelorette. "I'm feeling extra grateful tonight for this opportunity." Even though the reality star was appreciative of the opportunity, the role came with some backlash from Bachelor Nation. In July, Kaitlyn was mocked for "privileged problems" after she shared a tearful video of herself explaining how she felt lonely. A month before the video, fans began to point out how different Kaitlyn looked compared to when she was the lead. The negative response began after Chris Harrison stepped down, and the ladies were named the two new hosts.
Filling in for Chris Harrison's shoes was not an easy feat, but Kaitlyn and Tayshia were able to may Katie's experience as The Bachelorette one to remember. Now that her season and complete, Kaitlyn is excited to help Michelle on her journey to find love.
Sources: Kaitlyn Bristowe/ Instagram