Charity Lawson is the next The Bachelorette star headed on a journey to find love with more than two dozen interested suitors — though often their interests lie more in quick fame than finding love.
Season 20 of The Bachelorette is coming up soon, but it feels like it’s been ages since Zach Shallcross had us swooning on The Bachelor earlier this year.
So when does Charity take over and try to find the one guy who is there for the right reasons?
The new season will be here before we know it, and soon after, Charity will be handing out the final rose, and we’ll be here to dish on it all. Let’s hope that Charity keeps things more interesting than Zach Shallcross, whose season of The Bachelor was quite honestly a bit of a snoozefest.
It didn’t take Bachelor Nation long to figure out that Charity was on her way to becoming the next Bachelorette, so when Jesse Palmer made the announcement via a game of “This or That” at Zach’s Women Tell All special.
Charity, a child advocacy center therapist, will be making her big debut on Monday, June 26, so mark that date on your calendars and set your DVR!
Charity Lawson couldn’t believe she was picked to lead The Bachelorette
Even though The Bachelor viewers were calling it for most of the season, Charity Lawson was shocked to learn she would lead Season 20 of The Bachelorette.
She opened up on The Jennifer Hudson Show about her reaction to being cast. “When I was told, I had to double-check. I was like, ‘Are you sure that was my name that was called?’ I could not believe it. I literally did not believe it. I was having all of these emotions. I was excited and nervous, and it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. To hear my name called, I knew that it would be something incredible.”
And while there have now been four Black women named as lead on the show, Charity is one of only two monoracial Black women, with the other being Rachel Lindsay.
Michelle Young and Tayshia Adams are both biracial.
Charity knows this, too, and she’s ready to take on the challenge and honor. She said, “It’s huge. This puts me in the position of being the fourth woman of color to hold this role and the second monoracial African American woman to have the opportunity to find love. I notice and acknowledge that this is so much bigger than myself. It is my journey to love, but it’s bigger than me.”
Charity Lawson on The Bachelor
Charity made her reality TV debut on Season 26 of The Bachelor, where she dated Zach Shallcross all the way through the hometown dates, where she introduced Zach to her family.
Unfortunately (or possibly fortunately) for her, Zach had stronger feelings for Ariel, Gaby, and Kaity — and that meant it was time to pack her bags. Thankfully, most The Bachelor viewers already figured that Charity would be The Bachelorette, as whispers about her casting were prevalent weeks before her elimination.
While on The Bachelor, during a one-on-one date in Estonia, Charity opened up to Zach about her previous partners. She revealed that, in a past relationship, she had experienced emotional abuse from a man she dated on and off for six years.
As Charity navigates the one-on-ones, group dates, and all the challenges that come with finding her future husband, we’re sure to learn even more about who she is and what she is looking for.
The Bachelorette premieres on Monday, June 26 at 9/8c on ABC.