Bachelor Nation fan-favorite and former host of The Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe opened up to Nick Viall on his podcast about her feelings on not hosting next season. Kaitlyn first appeared on Chris Soules' season of The Bachelor in 2015. Although she did not find love with Chris, Kaitlyn stole the hearts of fans, and starred in her own season of The Bachelorette later that year. She got engaged to Shawn Booth, but they broke up in November 2018. In 2019, Kaitlyn met Jason Tartick from Becca Kufrin's season of The Bachelorette when he was a guest on her Off the Vine podcast. In May 2021, he proposed, and they are now planning a Great Gatsby-themed New Year's Eve wedding.
In 2021, Kaitlyn became became the co-host of The Bachelorette seasons 17 and 18, along with fellow former Bachelorette Tayshia Adams, helping Katie Thurston and Michelle Young to find love. When Tayshia was exposed to COVID-19 before Michelle's After the Final Rose episode, Kaitlyn had to adjust to hosting by herself just hours before the live event. She was highly praised for her hosting abilities. Therefore, Bachelor Nation was shocked when Jesse Palmer replaced Kaitlyn and Tayshia as the host of Clayton Echard's season of The Bachelor, but they hoped that they would return for Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey's Bachelorette season. However, Jesse was announced as the host, and Kaitlyn has since expressed her disappointment about this decision.
On Nick Viall's podcast The Viall Files, Kaitlyn opened up about her feelings about not hosting The Bachelorette. Kaitlyn admitted "There's a lot of FOMO [fear of missing out] there." She admitted that her "ego was bruised" when she realized that she was not going to be doing anymore hosting because she felt like she "deserved to go on." The former Bachelorette host felt like she was in "a good position" and had proved herself. Kaitlyn said that she thought that at first The Bachelorette producers wondered if she would take it seriously, but then she proved that she can be professional and bring "empathy and compassion" to the show. She shared that when the producers called her to tell her that she would not be hosting, they said, "I'm sure you saw this coming," but she didn't. She revealed that she was "blind-sided" by the decision which made it that much harder. Kaitlyn shared that she "really enjoyed" hosting and "took it seriously," so she was "sad" when she was not selected.
Kaitlyn also revealed that it was hard to host The Bachelorette with two people. She compared it to her own season, when she and Britt Nilsson were both cast and the men had to choose between them. She emphasized that she enjoyed working with her Bachelorette co-host Tayshia the whole time, especially at the beginning when they had to do media rounds, because it was like having a friend to help her navigate the process. However, in the end, she concluded that "one of us could have done it." Kaitlyn said that her experience with hosting After the Final Rose by herself made her realize that she was capable of doing the job, but she did not think that the producers trusted either her or Tayshia to host on their own. Although she is disappointed, Kaitlyn said that she hopes that other opportunities will come out of it and that, "It's my dream to host Dancing with the Stars."
Bachelor Nation was surprised when Jesse was named the host of The Bachelorette. Kaitlyn and Tayshia were the perfect hosts because they had both been through the process before and could relate to the women. Although she will not be hosting The Bachelorette, Kaitlyn has proven herself to be an empathetic and entertaining host, and she will surely find success elsewhere.
The Bachelorette season 19 premieres July 11 at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.
Source: The Viall Files/Podcast