It’s official! Former Bachelor Jesse Palmer is hosting Season 26 of “The Bachelor”!

Bachelor Nation first met Jesse as the lead on Season 5 of “The Bachelor,” and he’s remained a loyal member of the Bachelor family since.

Now he’s back, this time as the host, to help our next Bachelor on his journey to find love.

In the official press release, Jesse revealed how he’s feeling about taking on this new role.

The former Bachelor said, “For more than 20 years, ‘The Bachelor’ has brought the world dozens of unforgettable love stories, including at one time, my own. Falling in love is one of life’s greatest gifts and I am humbled by the opportunity to return to the show as host this season to offer the newest Bachelor advice gained from firsthand experience, and I am grateful to play a small part in his journey.”

So let’s dive into five things to know about Jesse as we welcome him back to our screens!

1. He was the first professional athlete to lead “The Bachelor”
While nowadays there always seems to be a professional athlete or two cast on the Bachelor franchise shows, Jesse was the very first pro athlete to be the Bachelor. Before his time as the Bachelor, Jesse played college football for the University of Florida, and then competed as an NFL quarterback for five seasons in the early 2000s. He split his time between the New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers. After his time on the show, the Toronto, Ontario, Canada native spent half of the 2006 season with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.

2. Jesse recently married the love of his life, Emely Fardo Palmer   
Jesse got engaged to Emely in 2019 after they met in 2017. The two have shared sweet moments from their relationship on social media over the years but were somewhat private about their wedding. This past summer, Jesse started wearing a wedding band and Emely started referring to him as her husband, so it appears these two privately tied the knot! They share an adorable dog together named Loulou, and their little family couldn’t be any cuter!

3. Jesse is no stranger to hosting TV shows
After his time as a professional athlete, Jesse became a college football analyst for ESPN and a columnist for The Sports Network in Canada. He also hosts shows like “The Ultimate Surfer” on ABC, “The Proposal” on ABC, and the “Holiday Baking Championship” on the Food Network, as well as serving as a contributor on shows like “Good Morning America.” With his hosting experience and time as the Bachelor, we have no doubt Jesse is going to be a great Bachelor Nation host!

4. He was the first non-American Bachelor
While Jesse currently lives in the United States, he’s a native of Canada. Until Jesse starred in “The Bachelor,” all the previous leads were Americans. Now, we see contestants from all over the world on the Bachelor franchise shows, and there are also “Bachelor” shows in countries all over the world. Jesse was just the beginning of Bachelor Nation going global!

5. He is a dedicated dog dad
As mentioned, Jesse and his wife Emely share their adorable pup Loulou, and to say Jesse and Loulou are BFFs would be an understatement. Jesse constantly shares sweet pics with their Aussie-doodle, and when he was away from Loulou on a work trip, Jesse took to Instagram to share how much he missed his pup. The Bachelor Nation host said, “I miss my Beast so much. It’s amazing how we can grow so close to our pets. They truly are our family!”