Maura Higgins Responds To Rumors She'll Be The Next Bachelorette
She seems to be tinkin' about it.
The Bachelorette may have hit a giant roadblock recently, you know what they say: the reality dating show must go on! After Taylor Frankie Paul’s Season 22 of the series was abruptly shelved right before its planned premiere, rumors have run rampant that ABC is fast-tracking a new eligible bachelorette to take up the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star’s roses. The latest name to create a buzz is Love Island and The Traitors breakout Maura Higgins — and she seems to be leaning into the speculation.
All the recent Bachelorette chatter reached a fever pitch after ABC decided not to air Paul’s already filmed season after a video of her 2023 domestic dispute with ex Dakota Mortensen was widely shared just days before Season 22 was meant to premiere. Initially, the gossip was that Paul’s Mormon Wives co-stars Layla Taylor and Miranda Hope may step in to film a double-bachelorette season (a format the franchise has done in the past). However, the latest update indicated that the series is looking in a new direction.
“They shut down Layla and Miranda as a dual season and are trying to steer away from the SLOMW girlies,” a March 24 Deuxmoi post read. Instead, the alleged insider named Higgins as the new reality star the network is eyeing, and they’re apparently even considering making it a live season to get it up much sooner: “ABC exec friend said they are looking into getting Maura Higgins to be the new Bachelorette and do a live shooting of it.”
While Higgins didn’t give an explicit yes or no about whether she’ll be taking up residence in the Bachelorette Manor, she did make it clear that she’s taken notice of the rumors, leaving a mysterious eyes emoji under the Deuxmoi post.
Higgins is currently single, after most recently sparking a bit of chemistry with Rob Rausch on The Traitors (though their relationship remained strictly platonic). She previously dated her Love Island co-star Curtis Pritchard, making it to the finals in their 2019 season, but breaking up a couple months later. Since then, she’s had relationships with Strictly Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice, and with Chris Hemsworth's stunt double Bobby Holland Hanton.
