July 15, 2021 • bachelor insider
The Premiere Date for Michelle Young's Season of 'The Bachelorette' Is Here!
Get ready to fall in love, Bachelor Nation!
On Thursday, ABC announced the premiere date for Season 18 of “The Bachelorette.” Michelle Young’s turn leading the franchise will begin Tuesday, October 19, on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.
Michelle — who fans met on Matt James’ landmark 25th season of “The Bachelor” — was named the next Bachelorette during March’s “After the Final Rose” special, hosted by Emmanuel Acho. (Katie Thurston was also announced as an incoming Bachelorette, whose Season 17 is currently airing.)
As viewers will recall, Michelle immediately captured Matt’s attention — along with the hearts of millions of Americans — with her captivating smile, unmistakable charm, and sharp wit.
Incredibly passionate about shaping the next generation of community leaders, Michelle left her career as a Division I basketball player to teach kindergarten. With big dreams for her future, Michelle hopes her Bachelorette love story ends with a man by her side who is just as driven to make the world a better place.
Michelle expressed her excitement at becoming the Bachelorette during a March interview with “Good Morning America.”
“My first response was, ‘Wait a second, we’re dating the same men and there’s two of us?’ And I was like, ‘I have a lot of questions,’” Michelle said with a laugh, noting that she was relieved to discover she and Katie were given individual cycles.
Elsewhere, Michelle explained how she hopes to be a conduit for progress within Bachelor Nation as the third woman of color to lead “The Bachelorette” — following Season 13’s Rachel Lindsay and Season 16’s Tayshia Adams.
“They know that I’m going to push forward to make an impact in a positive way, and I think they’re kind of jumping on my train to do that with me,” Michelle said of the support she feels from the franchise at large.
She also joked that she asked Katie to “iron out all the kinks” before she begins her search for love.
“All jokes aside, I just told her to continue to be herself,” Michelle elaborated, revealing the advice she gave Katie before her run as the Bachelorette. “[There is] nothing better than walking away from this experience knowing that the person that you choose hopefully loves you for exactly who you are.”
