August 24, 2023 • bachelor insider
EXCLUSIVE: Charity Lawson & Dotun Olubeko Discuss ‘DWTS,’ Black Love, Wedding Planning, and More!
By Dani Golub
Opening up.
Bachelor Nation fans saw Charity Lawson and Dotun Olubeko fall in love and get engaged on Season 20 of “The Bachelorette.”
Now, the happily engaged pair is stopping by for an exclusive chat with BachelorNation.com.
The two opened up about their wedding planning, what it means to them to be the first monoracial Black couple on the show, and how they plan on staying strong during Charity’s time on “Dancing with the Stars.”
When it comes to their wedding, Charity and Dotun shared that they don’t plan on having a very long engagement and they are ready to tie the knot soon.
While they haven’t made any solid plans yet, the couple shared that they hope to plan two marriage celebrations, one here in the U.S. and one in Nigeria.
How exciting!
Charity and Dotun also opened up about what it means to them to be the first monoracial Black couple from the Bachelor Nation franchise.
Dotun said, “It means a lot. It’s a really amazing position to be in, and we are both so grateful to be in the position to have shown this love to everybody. That wasn’t the intention. We both went into this leading with love, but for it to end with Black love is truly just the cherry on top.”
He went on, sharing, “It’s bigger than that, even. It’s showing America and the world what Black love can look like. Hopefully we can break down some stereotypes that some people still hold to this day. We are grateful for the opportunity and grateful to be in this position. We just want to be a reminder that Black love can be healthy and beautiful.”
Charity agreed with her fiancé and shared what making history has meant to her.
The former Bachelorette said, “It means so much, and in my wildest dreams I couldn’t have imagined this journey going the way that it did and to find a love like this. For that to be Black love is such an inspiration. I am so excited and hopeful from hearing from the viewers at home. The outpouring of love and messages have shared that we are inspiring people and that is the best thing possible, truly.”
Charity continued, adding, “There are these stereotypes about what it can be and often Black relationships are portrayed in the media as a struggle or extensive journey to navigate and we have to work ten times as hard to obtain something that should be available to everyone. It is beautiful and it can be that. We have shown that and I’m grateful that in the franchise our story was shown in its entirety from start to finish as a good thing just being a good thing.”
And if anyone was concerned about Charity going on “Dancing with the Stars” and what that might mean for their relationship, Charity wants fans to “chill.”
Dotun will be living with her here in Los Angeles throughout the entire process, and Dotun added, “You guys might not know it, but we’ve continued our hard work ever since filming ended. Our love has never been deeper and I continue to fall more and more in love with her every day. Going into ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ we both feel so secure in our relationship. I am just so supportive and I am so glad we’re not doing long distance. I’ll be there and have dinner ready for her after those long practices. If anything ever happens, our relationship is a priority and we have the communication skills to talk about it.”
We couldn’t be happier for Charity and Dotun and we love their love!
Check out their full interview above.