The Golden Bachelorette was recently rocked by its first scandal when it emerged that Guy Gansert’s ex-wife, Heidi, filed for a temporary protective order against him in 2021.
Despite voluntarily dismissing the filing a month later, fans of Bachelor Nation have been questioning whether Guy is who he says he is on the ABC dating series.
He’s advanced through the competition very well and has made it to the final three after romancing Joan Vassos.
The 66-year-old has a genuine chance of winning Joan’s heart and leaving the show in a relationship, so it was inevitable that she would speak out about the filing.
She stopped by The Viall Files to speak with Bachelor Nation alum Nick Viall about her time anchoring the show, and she was asked about the elephant in the room pretty quickly.
“The Golden franchise is a little bit unique because we come here with a lot of past,” the 61-year-old said.
“We’ve lived a lot of life, and it doesn’t completely surprise me that there are things that they’re maybe not proud of later on,” she said of her cast.
Joan speaks about her experience with Guy
Joan admitted that she “never saw that side of Guy or anybody” while filming her season of the show.
“My interactions with all the guys were pure and lovely, and I would have never had any indication that there was any kind of past that he had,” the reality TV star explained.
“I had no idea what the interactions with his ex-wife were at that time.”
Joan went on to say that Guy “was so kind” to her and very “vulnerable.”
“He cried. He talked about, you know, finally feeling happy for the first time in so many years. I never in a million years would have guessed that there was any kind of past there,” she continued.
Ultimately, Joan believes Guy is “kind and a good person.”
“You know, maybe he made a mistake. I don’t know. I don’t know anything about it other than what you guys know,” she concluded.
Guy has already spoken out about the restraining order in an Instagram statement, describing it as “an unfortunate situation that occurred during an incredibly stressful time” for him and Heidi.
However, he claims they moved on from it when she “voluntarily dismissed her request for a protective order.”
“Together, we crafted a resolution that was agreeable to both parties,” he continued.
The Golden Bachelorette is fantastic so far
Joan has been a fantastic lead in her search for love after losing her husband, John, to pancreatic cancer in 2021.
The series premiered on ABC last month, and while it hasn’t reached the ratings heights of The Golden Bachelor, it’s been a fun and wholesome watch because Joan isn’t afraid to ask the men the tough questions.
She even defended them this week from Martha Stewart, who claimed she would never do the show because the men weren’t attractive enough.
The Golden Bachelorette airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on ABC. You can stream full episodes on Hulu.