Bachelor Nation‘s biggest stars came out to support Charity Lawson as her Bachelorette journey ended — but they weren’t the only special guests at the live finale.
While waiting to see whose proposal Charity, 27, would accept during the Monday, August 21, episode, viewers spotted Peter Weber‘s parents in the studio audience. Peter Sr. and Barbara Weber‘s live reactions were shown several times at the bottom of the screen throughout the dramatic finale, which concluded with Charity’s engagement to Dotun Olubeko.
“Someone PLEASE tell me why barbs reaction is necessary for these moments,” one fan tweeted alongside a screenshot Charity packing on the PDA. Another viewer speculated that the Weber family’s presence in the studio could mean ABC was giving Peter, 32, another shot at finding love on reality TV.
Barb did celebrate the reveal of the upcoming season 28 Bachelor — but it wasn’t her son. Host Jesse Palmer introduced Charity’s runner-up, Joey Graziadei, as the lead on Monday.
“Congratulations To Our New Bachelor Joey 🌹,” Barb captioned an Instagram Story after the episode aired. “Congratulations to Charity and Dotun 🌹 Great meeting Jesse Palmer.”
Barb previously stole the show during Peter’s emotional season 24 finale in 2020. After calling off his brief engagement to Hannah Ann Sluss, Peter attempted to rekindle his romance with contestant Madi Prewett — much to Barb’s disappointment.
“When I said I wanted Hannah Ann [to win] so badly, it was because … we just clicked right away,” Barb said on After the Final Rose, claiming Madi was several hours late to her “rocky” meeting with Peter’s family. “We did not have that connection with Madison.”
Madi responded to Barb’s jabs in the hot seat that night. “I’m not a mom, so I don’t know what it’s like to have a son, to have kids,” she said. “I know that I have love and respect for Peter. Therefore I have love and respect for Peter’s family and I will never say a negative word about anyone or anything.”
Peter’s reconciliation with Madi didn’t last long, however, as the pair went their separate ways shortly after the finale aired. Madi married Grant Michael Troutt in October 2022. Peter, meanwhile, dated season 24 contestant Kelley Flanagan on and off for three years.
Despite his mom’s strong opinions about his past relationships, Peter asserted that Barb wasn’t the reason for his first split from Kelley. “Kelley and I operate on two different frequencies, and one isn’t better or worse than the other; we’re just two different people, and those differences surfaced after eight months of dating. But I loved her like crazy, and my mom really cared about her,” he told Entertainment Tonight in January 2021.
While the pair reunited in the summer of 2022, Peter confirmed earlier this year that they called it quits once again.
