Where Are All The Past Bachelorette Leads Now?

It was back in 2002, during the reality TV boom of the early 2000s, that ABC introduced a new dating show dubbed "The Bachelor." The format featured a handsome single guy — the titular Bachelor — who winnowed his way through a gaggle of women until finally choosing one, the season concluding with an on-air proposal. When the series became a monster ratings hit, the network did what most TV networks do when a show proves successful with viewers: they ordered a spinoff. That series utilized the same format but flipped genders, and "The Bachelorette" was born.

Making its debut in 2003, "The Bachelorette" followed in the footsteps of its predecessor by winning big ratings. As the seasons passed, both "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" have gone on to become television institutions.

With the 22nd season scuttled days before its scheduled premiere in March 2026 due to a ginormous scandal related to the season's lead, "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" star Taylor Frankie Paul, "The Bachelorette" fans were left high and dry. While this is arguably the most dramatic turn of events in the show's history, it's also true that the show has delivered plenty of drama over the past two decades, thanks to the many women who've handed out roses to their suitors. Among the details that the biggest fans don't know about "The Bachelorette," though, is what happened to those women after their seasons ended. To find out more, read on to discover where all of the past "Bachelorette" leads are now.

The first star of "The Bachelorette," Trista Rehn, gave her final rose to Ryan Sutter. The latter proposed during a finale that attracted a staggering 30 million viewers. When they got married, their $3.7 million wedding was broadcast as a television special. She followed that up by competing on "Dancing With the Stars," but didn't win.

When considering the untold truth of the first Bachelorette, it's clear that she set the standard by which all future romances springing from the show would be measured. In December 2025, the couple celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary.

The second woman to take the reins on "The Bachelorette," Meredith Phillips chose Ian McKee in the finale of her season. They split up about a year after he popped the question. Since then, Phillips has largely stayed out of the spotlight. She re-emerged in 2013, appearing on "Good Morning America" to reveal she'd been struggling with alcoholism. She was arrested in 2022 on the suspicion of driving under the influence; those charges, however, were apparently dismissed. These days, she's reportedly living in the Pacific Northwest, where she worked as a chef for a hospital. 

Jen Schefft made her mark on "The Bachelorette" with arguably the least romantic finale in the show's history. Not only did she reject the proposal of the final suitor she'd chosen, she also turned down the proposal of the runner-up. 

After exiting the world of reality TV, Schefft got married in 2009. Looking back on her short-lived time as a reality star in a 2017 interview with Cleveland Magazine, she said, "It was fun to be in the spotlight, but it was also very challenging in that I hated hearing what other people had to say about me."

After DeAnna Pappas gifted her final rose to suitor Jesse Csincsak on Season 4 of "The Bachelorette," the two became affianced and even set a wedding date. Before they could walk down the aisle and exchange vows, though, they split up after what was one of the shortest engagements in "Bachelorette" history. 

Pappas subsequently married Stephen Stagliano, welcoming two children before they announced they were divorcing in 2023. In 2025, she was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence after a fraught altercation with her ex. These days, Pappas works as a flight attendant.

The first Canadian to be cast as the lead in "The Bachelorette," Jillian Harris and her chosen rose recipient, Ed Swerski, never made it to the altar after his on-air proposal. Instead, they broke things off shortly after the season had finished. 

She returned to her native British Columbia, and wound up co-hosting "Love It of List It Vancouver" for HGTV Canada (retitled "Love It or List It Too" in the U.S.). In 2025, she married her longtime fiancé Justin Pasutto, with whom she shares two kids. Harris continues to find success as an entrepreneur and popular social media influencer.

On Season 6 of "The Bachelorette," Ali Fedotowsky accepted the romantic seaside proposal from suitor Roberto Martinez. While it might've seemed like true love blossomed between them on the show, there would be no wedding. In 2011, the couple announced they were going their separate ways.

A few years later, Fedotowsky married to someone else. In 2017, she tied the knot with Los Angeles TV and radio host Kevin Manno; they'd welcomed their first child nearly a year before their nuptials. Eventually tiring of the fast pace in Los Angeles, the couple eventually relocated to their current home in Nashville.

Ashley Hebert accepted the proposal of J.P. Rosenbaum in her "Bachelorette" finale, and the couple's subsequent wedding became an ABC television special. They welcomed two children before Hebert announced sad news about their marriage. In 2020, she revealed that they'd split up after less than eight years of matrimony.

Their divorce was finalized a year later, and Hebert went public to reveal she'd been deluged with online hatred on social media because of the split. Their divorce was amicable — so much so that she and her ex-husband vacationed together with their kids in 2025.

Fans of "The Bachelorette" will surely recall Emily Maynard's tragic story: her boyfriend, NASCAR driver Ricky Hendrick, died in a 2004 plane crash, shortly before she learned she was pregnant with their daughter. 

The first single mom to be the lead of "Bachelorette," Maynard and suitor Jeff Holm split up a few months after their televised engagement. She found love after that, when she married Tyler Johnson. In 2026, 39-year-old Maynard made "Bachelorette" history again — this time as the first alum from the show to become a grandmother, when her 20-year-old daughter welcomed a baby. 

When Desiree Hartsock accepted the proposal of Chris Siegfried in the 9th season of "The Bachelorette," viewers had become cynical enough to begin the countdown to their inevitable breakup. Instead, they bucked expectations and got married in 2015. 

The couple are still going strong. In 2024, they welcomed their third child. When their kids are old enough, Hartsock hopes to show them a very pared-down version of her season of "The Bachelorette" that, she told Us Weekly, skips past "all the drama." She continued, "I want my kids to have the narrative of what Mom and Dad share and not what it shows."

Andi Dorfman concluded her season by accepting suitor Josh Murray's proposal. The engagement was brief; the couple broke things off shortly after the season finale. During a 2019 appearance on "Watch What Happens Live" (via E! News), host Andy Cohen asked if she could come up with three positive things to say about Murray. "No," she replied.

She subsequently found love with Blaine Hart, tying the knot in 2023. The couple welcomed a daughter in 2024, but the delivery was difficult, with Dorfman requiring emergency surgery. Ultimately, both mother and baby were healthy.

At the end of her season of "The Bachelorette," Kaitlyn Bristowe accepted Shawn Booth's proposal. They remained together for three years until breaking up in 2018. She co-hosted the 17th and 18th seasons of "The Bachelorette," and then won the 29th season of "Dancing With the Stars." 

She subsequently got engaged to Jason Tartrick, but they eventually split up. Meanwhile, she launched the podcast "Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe," created her own wine called Spade and Sparrows, and released a country music single, "If I'm Being Honest." In 2025, she co-hosted the reality dating show "Are You My First?"

JoJo Fletcher said yes when her "Bachelorette" suitor, former football player Jordan Rodgers, asked her to marry her. Six years later, the couple walked down the aisle. Clearly one of the few "Bachelorette" success stories, the pair welcomed their first baby in 2025. They currently reside in Dallas, where Fletcher took a hands-on approach to the construction of their home. She's remained a member of Bachelor Nation, having appeared in spinoff series "Bachelor Winter Games." She also runs her own business, producing a wine-based beverage called Saint Spritz.

Rachel Lindsay broke a barrier as the first Black lead of "The Bachelorette." When the season concluded, she was engaged to Bryan Abasolo. Two years later, they got married. Alas, the relationship didn't last; in 2024, they announced they were divorcing. In early 2025, the divorce was finalized, with Lindsay keeping their California home, while Abasolo hung onto their place in Miami. Professionally, Lindsay has remained in the public eye. In addition to co-hosting the "Higher Learning" podcast, she was also a correspondent for "Extra" from 2020 until 2023.

Becca Kufrin got engaged to suitor Garret Yrigoyen, yet the relationship lasted two years before they went their separate ways. However, a subsequent experience within the "Bachelor"-verse yielded better results. 

Appearing on the 7th season of "Bachelor in Paradise," sparks flew between Kufrin and Thomas Jacobs. They became an item, but broke up during the season finale. That wasn't the end, though, and the two subsequently got back together. In September 2023, they welcomed a child, son Benson. They made it official the following month, tying the knot that October.

After quickly breaking off her engagement to suitor Jeff Wyatt, Hannah Brown only continued to stay busy. The same year her "Bachelorette" season aired, she competed in the 28th season of "Dancing With the Stars," and wound up taking home the Mirrorball Trophy.

In 2023, she got engaged to Adam Worland, and that same year the burgeoning novelist signed a two-book deal to write romance novels. The first of these, "Mistakes We Never Made," was published in 2024, while her second hit bookstores in 2025.

The 16th season of "The Bachelorette" took an unexpected twist when lead Clare Crawley exited partway through, having found love early on with suitor Dale Moss. Not surprisingly, that set the stage for a whole lot of drama. They split up in 2021, only to get back together — and then break up again, amid rumors of infidelity. 

The following year, she and new boyfriend Ryan Dawkins got engaged, and got married in February 2023. Crawley became stepmother to Dawkins' two daughters from his previous relationship, and in January 2024 they welcomed their first child together, a daughter born via surrogate. 

After Claire Crawley's departure, Tayshia Adams was brought in as her replacement. Like most "Bachelorette" stars before her, Adams ended her season wearing an engagement ring. About a year after the season aired, they split up. Meanwhile, she kept herself busy as hosting two Bachelor Nation-themed podcasts, "Bachelor Happy Hour" and "Click Bait."

She subsequently began dating "Summer House" cast member Luke Gulbranson. They broke up in 2025 after about two years together. In 2026, Adams teamed up with "Bachelor" alum Tyler Cameron to judge HGTV's "Bachelor Mansion Takeover." 

Katie Thurston's "Bachelorette" engagement to Blake Moynes imploded quickly, with the couple splitting up just three months later. She then began dating another suitor from her season, John Hersey. That relationship also didn't last, ending after less than a year.

In 2025, Thurston was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. Shortly before starting treatment, she married her boyfriend of a year, comedian Jeff Arcuri. "Breast cancer flips your world upside down," Thurston told People, revealing her cancer had advanced to stage 4, metastasizing in her liver. 

Michelle Young and her television fiancé, Nayte Olukoya, never made it to the altar. Six months after the season ended, so did their engagement. She found love again, and in 2025 she married beau Jack Leius.

Sadly, the newlyweds were forced to put their honeymoon on hold when Young took ill. She later discovered her chronic illness was caused by exposure to mold and mycotoxin. In the meantime, the former schoolteacher remains heavily involved with her nonprofit, The Michelle Young Foundation, which links underserved students with scholarships and other educational opportunities.

Season 19 of "The Bachelorette" was something of a departure, in that the season began with two leads, Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia. Windey got engaged to suitor Erich Schwer, but the romance ended soon after.  Windey then competed in the 31st season of "Dancing With the Stars," making it to runner-up. 

In 2023, Windey confirmed on Instagram that she was dating actor and comedian Robby Hoffman, writing, "Told you I'm a girls girl!!" The two got married in 2025. Career-wise, Windey has stayed busy: She won a season of "The Traitors," launched the podcast "Long Winded," and became the host of "Love Overboard."

Appearing alongside Gabby WIndey in Season 19, Rachel Recchia concluded her "Bachelorette" journey by getting engaged to Tino Franco. Recchia subsequently broke off their engagement, revealing he'd cheated on her. 

She subsequently entered into an on-and-off relationship with Clayton Echard, who'd dumped her when she tried to woo him when he was the lead on "The Bachelor." Recchia reunited with Echard in 2025, when they both competed in the Netflix dating show "Perfect Match," before splitting up for the third and final time. 

Leading the 20th season of "The Bachelorette," Charity Lawson emerged with a fiancé, Dotrun Olubeko. She then headed over to "Dancing With the Stars," where she captured fourth place.

Meanwhile, Lawson and Olubeko have remained very much a couple. In fact, the pair even revealed they'd selected a date for their upcoming wedding, issuing a TikTok video in which she displayed a "save the date" card that she'd designed. A QR code on the back of the card reportedly indicated the nuptials would take place in August 2026.

"The Bachelorette" Season 21 lead Jenn Tran ended her season engaged to Devin Strader. However, during the live season finale, Tran revealed to the audience that he dumped her shortly after they wrapped filming. "He basically said he didn't love me anymore and didn't feel the same way," she said, as reported by Us Weekly, adding that her ex told her he "regretted" popping the question.

She then went to "Dancing With the Stars," but was eliminated fairly early on. While she was denied the Mirrorball Trophy, she left the show with a new boyfriend: dance partner Sasha Farber. The two subsequently split up.

"The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" star Taylor Frankie Paul was selected to be the Bachelorette for the series' 22nd season. Days before the season was set to premiere, however, a video taken in 2023 of her apparently physically attacking her then-partner, Dakota Mortensen, was leaked.  ABC pulled the plug on the entire season.

Following the cancellation, Paul's rep told E! News, "After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm."

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, or needs help with addiction issues, contact the resources below:

• Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
• Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).