Bachelor Nation Kids Then and Now: From Emily Maynard’s Daughter Ricki to Jason Mesnick’s Son Ty

Credit: Courtesy Amanda Stanton, Jason Mesnick and Emily Maynard/Instagram

Bachelor Nation Kids Then and Now: From Emily Maynard’s Daughter Ricki to Jason Mesnick’s Son Ty

All grown up! Over the years, single parents have looked for love on The Bachelor or Bachelorette, often giving Bachelor Nation a glimpse at their lives with their children through the ABC show. Jason Mesnick was the first single dad to hand out roses as the season 13 Bachelor. He won over the hearts of fans after finishing as DeAnna Pappas’ runner-up on season 4 of The Bachelorette in 2008. Mesnick’s son, Ty, from a previous marriage, briefly appeared on the show. "I just knew that there was no way that I could truly fall in love with somebody unless they saw my son," Mesnick said during the 2009 season. In the end, the real estate broker proposed to Melissa Rycroft but ended their engagement while the show was airing. During After the Final Rose, he reconnected with runner-up Molly Malaney and they wed in 2010. Mesnick and Maloney went on to welcome daughter Riley in 2013 — but couldn’t escape their Bachelor past when Netflix started streaming the season in 2019. [jwplayer foIPcq1X-zhNYySv2] “Let’s pretend YOU were The Bachelor and your 15-year-old son just discovered your season on @Neflix…” Mesnick wrote via Instagram at the time. “Do you: A.) Let him watch it? B.) Ship him off to Switzerland for a few years until it comes off Netflix.” Emily Maynard later became the first single mother to lead the franchise when she was named the eighth Bachelorette after winning season 15 of The Bachelor (and splitting from Brad Womack). The North Carolina native gave birth to daughter Ricki months after her then-fiancé, Ricky Hendrick, died in an airplane accident in October 2004 at 24 years old. “I wish that I would’ve kept [my time on The Bachelor and Bachelorette] totally separate [from Ricki],” Maynard said in a 2017 podcast interview. “At the time, I thought, ‘This is it,’ and I never would’ve brought her into it had I not thought that. So I wish that I maybe would’ve taken a step back. Maybe sheltered her from that a little bit more.” Maynard didn’t find The One on The Bachelorette, but she married Tyler Johnson in 2014 and welcomed four more kids: Jennings, Gibson, Gatlin and Magnolia. It hasn’t only been leads who have opened up about their kids on the show, however. Scroll through to see then and now photos:

Credit: Courtesy Juan Pablo Galavis/Instagram (2)

Juan Pablo Galavis

The season 18 Bachelor welcomed daughter Camila in 2009 with ex Carla Rodríguez. While he didn’t find his person on the show — he and winner Nikki Ferrell split in 2014, months after the finale aired — his daughter helped him recreate his epic split from the show with Clare Crawley in 2021.

Credit: Courtesy Jason Mesnick/Instagram (2)

Jason Mesnick

Mesnick’s son with Hilary Buckholz was three years old when his dad was the Bachelor.

"I met Ty when he was 3 … he's 15 and driving with a permit now! It's wild! He is SUCH a good kid,” stepmom Malaney told BachelorNation.com in 2020. “Gets good grades, is active in sports, and never gets in trouble … yet."

Mesnick added: "Ty is a man — he's 6'2"! He'll always be my little buddy, but I love seeing how independent he’s become. He’s a really good kid."

Credit: Courtesy Emily Maynard/Instagram

Emily Maynard

Maynard got emotional on Ricky’s 17th birthday in June 2022. She was 6 when her mom filmed The Bachelorette, which relocated to North Carolina for Ricky.

“I feel like I was reborn in so many ways because you brought so much joy to my aching heart,” she wrote via Instagram. “And now, you continue to brighten every room you walk in and make people, whether you know them or don’t, feel like they’ve known you forever. Your humility, grace, grit, and of course beauty, know no bounds and I’m so proud of you! I love you, Ki!”

Credit: Courtesy Amanda Stanton/Instagram (2)

Amanda Stanton

The then-single mom of two brought daughters Kinsley (born in 2012) and Charlie (born in 2014) on season 20 of The Bachelor to meet Ben Higgins during her hometown date in 2016. (She shares the girls with ex-husband Nick Buonfiglio.)

“If I could go back, I would have probably done it a little bit different for sure. I just explained that this is my good friend, and I had been away for a few weeks, so it was kind of a weird situation,” Stanton, who was eliminated by Higgins after the date, told Entertainment Tonight after the episode aired. “They really had a good time with him and they adored him. And they have seen him on TV since then, and they are like, 'That's our friend’… which is really cute but it wasn't, like, a huge deal. It wasn’t like he was in our lives for months and then suddenly disappeared. Regardless, it is hard. And I think it was harder for me just because it was something I had never done before, and I was really opening up to him by introducing him to my kids and showing him that side of me. I think it was a little harder for me than it was for [my children] just because they meet people every day."

Stanton has since met Michael Fogel and the pair are set to wed in September 2022.

Credit: Courtesy Ben Scott/Instagram (2)

Ben Scott

Scott brought son Brody with him to meet Desiree Hartsock on the 2013 season premiere of The Bachelorette.

“I know you’re probably wondering why I brought somebody that is much more handsome than me, but this is my everything and I wanted you to know exactly who I am from day one. This is my best friend, my son Brody,” he said on the show.

He didn’t end up with Hartsock — and had a brief stint on BiP season 2 — but Scott got married to Lindsay Scott in 2016 and welcomed son Pierce and daughter Remy. The pair announced in June 2022 that baby No. 3 is on the way.

Credit: Courtesy Kenny King/Instagram (2)

Kenny King

During Rachel Lindsay’s season of The Bachelorette, King often spoke about daughter Makenzi. She appeared on season 13’s Men Tell All special in 2017 and ABC offered her a trip to Disneyland.

“Being a dad is just amazing. Having a little girl, I was a real-life superhero for quite a few years. I fixed bikes, checked the closet for monsters, I was the man. She’s older now, so I’m not as cool as I used to be,” he told BachelorNation.com in 2022.

Credit: Courtesy Juelia Kinney/Instagram (2)

Juelia Kinney

The Bachelor season 19 alum shared daughter Ireland with husband Dustin Kinney until he died by suicide in 2013. After looking for love with Chris Soules, Juelia married Evan Bass’ brother, Aaron.

“MY HEART IS BURSTING 😭❤️😍🙊 Last night before we shared our engagement with Ireland, Aaron took her out to ice cream, gave her a ring and asked to be her DADDY,” she wrote in July 2018 via Instagram. “I am dying. Somebody pinch me because I don’t know how I got this lucky.”

They welcomed son Van in 2020.