The Bachelorette season 20, starring Charity Lawson, debuted in June in a new time slot. Charity, a 27-year-old child and family therapist from Columbus, Georgia, first appeared in Zach Shallcross' season of The Bachelor. She's now in the midst of finding true love during her own season of The Bachelorette, and Charity has endured multiple elimination rounds. Charity is also thrilled to be able to show little girls who look like her that being the lead of a show like The Bachelorette is possible, as representation is important to her.

The anticipatory energy for Charity Lawson's Bachelorette season ended as the first episode premiered Monday, June 26, in a new time slot from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. EDT. This was a change from past seasons, which aired at 8 p.m. Claim To Fame season 2 will air from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. EDT. In 2022, the shows were reversed on the schedule, with Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia's season of The Bachelorette airing at 8 p.m. EDT, followed by Claim To Fame. Charity's season is also airing about two weeks later than The Bachelorette season 19 did the previous year, which was July 11.

The Bachelorette Receives Criticism For Later Time Slot

The Bachelorette shared news about the new time slot before the premiere on Instagram. Many fans expressed their disappointment about the show airing later in the comments section. Instagram user The Trashelor wrote, "9pm...y'all know who your target audience is, right? We have work in the morning." Emily Smith confessed, "Bro I struggle with the 8 o'clock time on occasion lol." However, Steph pointed out that it's only an hour difference, and "9 is nice in the summer!!! You can stay out later and enjoy the sunlight." Others wondered if the later start date for The Bachelorette means that Bachelor In Paradise will air in the fall again.

Potential Reasons Why The Bachelorette Time Slot Changed

The Bachelorette's Charity Lawson and Joey Graziadei kissing

A later time slot for The Bachelorette means that the show has more freedom to air more adult scenes with Charity and her potential suitors. However, it also means that the show will end at 11 p.m., which is pretty late for people who have to get up early in the morning. While viewers can always DVR the show or watch On Demand, this could affect the ratings of The Bachelorette. Interestingly, ABC made this controversial choice to change the time slot of the show in its milestone 20th year.

If the late time slot becomes too much of a problem, perhaps ABC could switch The Bachelorette and Claim To Fame back to last year's schedule. It's possible that Claim To Fame is being viewed as more of a family show by ABC, and the move to the earlier time slot will attract more viewers. No matter what time The Bachelorette airs, Charity is the perfect choice for the lead. The season has been entertaining thus far and will continue to be.

The Bachelorette season 20 airs Mondays at 9 p.m. EDT on ABC.

Source: The Bachelorette/Instagram