After 15 years of being on the air and number seasons between both franchises, ABC is finally gearing up to make history. During Monday night's Jimmy Kimmel Live! it was announced that Rachel Lindsay is the next Bachelorette and the internet went crazy over the exciting news. This will be the first time the show has cast a person of color as the lead, which has been a long overdue decision. So when does Rachel's season of The Bachelorette premiere? If all goes according to the show's usual schedule, fans won't have to wait too long to see Rachel's love story play out.
For the past nine seasons, The Bachelorette has aired sometime in mid or late May. So if ABC continues to follow along with this tradition, we should expect the same sort of timeline for Rachel's Bachelorette debut. Granted, the network is doing things a little differently this time around by announcing the next Bachelorette so soon in The Bachelor season. (Normally, they at least wait until the Women Tell All or sometime around there, right?) But don't let this early announcement fool you. I don't think it's supposed to indicate that The Bachelorette will premiere earlier than usual or anything. Sorry in advance if it got your hopes up.
But honestly, I think this season is definitely going to prove to be worth the wait. Rachel has proven time and time again to be all kinds of charming. She quickly won over the hearts of many during her time on Nick Viall's The Bachelor, so it'll be great to see her get so much more screen time in The Bachelorette Season 13 since she'll be the main event.
Some fans may be somewhat sad about this news only due to the fact that it means things don't end up working out between Rachel and Nick on The Bachelor. (She still hasn't been eliminated on the show.) And while it's true that they did have great chemistry right from the start, I think this is going to end up being an amazing journey for her. She deserves to find love, and hopefully after this, she will!
