Supportive exes? John Paul Jones is on board with his ex-girlfriend Tayshia Adams finding love again amid the news that she’s joining Clare Crawley as a joint Bachelorette lead on the new season of the ABC dating show.
“I’m really happy and excited for her on this new journey,” Jones, 25, tells Us Weekly exclusively regarding the reports that Adams will be leading season 16 of The Bachelorette when Crawley, 39, leaves the show early after falling in love. “I hope she finds the love and happiness that she deserves.”
Us confirmed on Monday, August 3, that Adams, 29, will be the second lead for the upcoming season of the dating series.
According to a source, Crawley, who was announced as the season’s lead in March, will exit the show early after finding her Mr. Right. The phlebotomist will then start her journey for love at the La Quinta Resort and Club in La Quinta, California.
As for the men vying for Adams’ heart, Us exclusively revealed on Friday, July 31, that contestants not chosen for The Bachelorette originally have been called back.
“Last weekend, producers reached out to backup Bachelorette contestants who had been vetted for Clare’s season, but were ultimately not cast, to film at La Quinta [Resort],” an insider said at the time. “When producers reached back out, out of the blue, it was very apparent that something had happened with production.”
Bachelor Nation was introduced to the Newport Beach, California, native on season 23 of The Bachelor in 2019. After competing for Colton Underwood’s final rose, Adams appeared on Bachelor in Paradise, where she met and started dating Jones. The pair split in October 2019.
Jones, for his part, has since moved on from Adams and is ready for his big break in Hollywood.
The Maryland native told Us in January that he has been focused on pursuing a career in acting after moving to Los Angeles in October 2019 — around the same time the former couple called it quits.
“I have a few projects coming up that I’m really excited about,” he told Us at the time. “One of them is a short film and the other will be on a streaming network … I’m really excited to see the outcomes of both.”
When it comes to his love life, the former reality star said, “I’m just very casually meeting people,” noting “I’m a little reluctant to jump into anything very serious.”
The same month, the Bachelorette alum was spotted on a date with model Victoria Rose Strehlow at Malibu Farm in California. The pair both posted a photo from their outing on Instagram at the time.
With reporting by Brody Brown
