There for her boy! Luke Pell’s mom, Susie Pell, stood up for him in a sweet post after the war veteran exclusively told Us Weekly that ABC told him he wasn’t going to be the next Bachelor after he’d already packed his bags.
“Through all of these ‘Bachelorette/Bachelor’ events I have not responded to very many posts or comments. I didn’t want to do anything that could be twisted in any way to cause my son any trouble. So, I just kept quiet. Now, I just want to say how proud I am of him and my daughter too, for that matter,” Susie wrote Thursday, September 1. “He is not perfect!! He has fought for his freedom and our countries freedom, he is a bronze star recipient, he loves and cherishes family and friends, he appreciates life because he has seen plenty of death, he works very very hard at ANYTHING he does, he is gentle, giving & humble and he loves country music and loves the Lord.”
“He is a lot more than meets the eye. Love to you all for being there during this fun, but sometimes stressful time,” she continued. “Believe me: he and we are blessed and there will be plenty other doors to open. It’s all just part of HIS journey.”
Luke, 31, shared the message on his Instagram account. “My precious mom,” he wrote. “#heartofgold #nextchapter.”
As Us Weekly exclusively revealed, Pell was just hours away from filming season 21 when ABC dropped him as the next Bachelor. On Tuesday, August 30, it was revealed on After Paradise that two-time Bachelorette runner-up Nick Viall would be the franchise’s next leading man instead.
Luke, who appeared on JoJo Fletcher’s season 12 of The Bachelorette, told Us on Thursday how everything went down. “We were all satisfied, had agreed to the contracts and everything was moving forward. I was checked in to my flight to come to L.A.,” he explained. “I got a call from producers Sunday night at about 10 p.m. They said ABC had decided to quote-unquote go in a different direction. I was supposed to fly out Monday morning at 9 a.m. I had my bags packed and everything. Most dramatic Monday ever! We had planned for intro filming and had planned to have my sister come on for a date and give advice as part of the show. I met with the wardrobe guys. Everything was moving forward. Everyone on the production level was expecting it to be me, as well.”
Fellow Bachelorette alum Arie Luyendyk Jr. can relate. “Same exact situation I had, it’s so not cool,” he tweeted Thursday. (Luyendyk Jr., 34, who was Emily Maynard’s runner-up, was in talks to be the season 19 Bachelor, but Chris Soules was eventually chosen instead.)
He added to Us: “I mean, [my situation was] almost word for word on that article. Same exact deal. I just knew two days prior, but same deal: suit fittings; contracts that I signed, but they were delayed on signings on their end; booked flights. Maybe this is a common practice now to throw off fans — I don’t know.”
