ABC "The Bachelorette" star Clare Crawley
SPOILER ALERT: Stop reading if you do not want to see potential spoilers for season 16 of The Bachelorette. Clare Crawley appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live to promote her season of The Bachelorette which premiered Tuesday night. When pressed by Kimmel to confirm or deny rumors she ran off with one of her suitors, former-NFL player Dale Moss, Crawley called the accusations false.
“The rumor is that you hit off with Dale so famously that you said ‘This is it. I’m not going through this charade, I’m not going through this whole process. I found the guy, that’s why I came, and adios. Goodbye, everybody. I’m leaving.’ True or false?” Kimmel asked Crawley.
“Well, that’s what the rumor is. I can confirm that that’s false,” Crawley responded. She added, “That did not happen like that.”
Rumors, reported by Reality Steve, assert Crawley refused to go on dates with anyone other than Moss. Kimmel continued to press Crawley on the rumors, including Tayshia Adams stepping in to replace her. Crawley’s denial comes amidst ABC’s refusal to acknowledge Adams is also a Bachelorette this season despite ads heavily hinting at Crawley’s exit.
“Jimmy, I showed up. I promise you I showed up, I was there for the journey, I was there to fall in love, and see my season through to find out what I was looking for” the 39-year-old said to Kimmel. When asked about Adams, she responded, “I have never met Tayshia.”
She did admit to looking up her men, including Moss. When asked how she filled her quarantine, she responded, “I googled all the men that were going to be on the season, took lots of notes.” With Moss in the original list of contestants announced, she was able to search him online. “There were just a lot of good things that aligned with what I’m looking for that he kind of embodied,” said Crawley on what her search on Moss yielded.
Crawley was announced in March to be the lead for the sixteenth season of the Bachelor Nation staple. Days before filming was set to begin, production was shut down due to the coronavirus outbreak. Production resumed in July, with everyone quarantining at the La Quinta Resort and Club in Palm Springs, CA.
Audiences first met who Kimmel dubbed the “first-ever pandemic Bachelorette” on Juan Pablo Galavis’ season of The Bachelor. She then went on to star in seasons one and two of Bachelor in Paradise, as well as Bachelor Winter Games. Crawley left World Tells All engaged to Benoit Beauséjour-Savard only to break up shortly after.
If Adams does step in as the second-ever pandemic Bachelorette, The Bachelorette would be her third attempt at finding love within the franchise. She first appeared on Colton Underwood’s season of The Bachelor. Adams then went on to date John Paul Jones after meeting on Bachelor in Paradise.
The season will unfold Tuesdays, on ABC.
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