Getty Mike Johnson went social media official with his girlfriend.
A former contestant from “The Bachelorette” and “Bachelor in Paradise” has found love again.
Mike Johnson first appeared on season 15 of “The Bachelorette,” which featured Hannah Brown, but he was eliminated just before her hometown dates. Johnson subsequently looked for love again during season 6 of “Bachelor in Paradise.” He hit the beach in week 2 but left just a couple of episodes later without a significant romantic connection.
Bachelor Nation fans rallied to see Johnson become “The Bachelor,” but that never came to be. Based on a new social media post from Johnson, it seems he found his Ms. Right without the help of reality television.
Here’s what you need to know:
Mike Johnson Wished His Girlfriend a Happy Birthday
On July 31, Johnson shared a sweet birthday message on his Instagram page. The first photo showed Johnson from behind, and he was walking alongside his girlfriend. “Happy Birthday gorgeous! Let’s continue to travel the world, and make out everywhere we go.”
Johnson’s girlfriend was also shown just from the back in the initial photo. In the second photo, however, “Bachelorette” fans got a better glimpse of her. Johnson and his girlfriend turned to face one another and embraced as they shared a kiss. Johnson did not share her name, or tag her social media page, though.
The “Bachelor in Paradise” star’s revelation he had a girlfriend did not come entirely out of nowhere. He had teased his relationship previously, but he has always kept the specifics under wraps. In January, Johnson acknowledged on the “Click Bait” podcast he was dating someone.
Johnson Values Privacy With His Relationship
When talking about his girlfriend, Johnson would not share her name. However, he did detail the story of how they initially connected. While it is not known for certain this is the same girlfriend, it seems that it is.
Johnson explained that his buddy initially approached her when he was out one night, but they two didn’t hit it off romantically. Johnson had stayed home that night, but the gal gave his buddy her Instagram information. Soon, the former “Bachelorette” star slid into her instant messages.
The “Bachelor in Paradise” star admitted he had been dating her exclusively for a couple of months at that point, but they had “been talking” for about six months in total. Johnson joined “Click Bait” again in March and confirmed he was still dating the same person.
He still would not share her name, and noted, “I believe in privacy not secrecy.” Johnson explained that if “Click Bait” host Joe Amabile and his wife, Serena Pitt, visited his home in Austin, “we’ll definitely go out, if we take a picture we probably won’t post it” on social media.
He added, “People definitely know who she is in the city,” and he admitted there are pictures of them together online. Even so, he was not willing to dish out her personal details on the podcast. There may be other photos of the couple online somewhere, but they are not on his Instagram page feed.
Johnson’s Relationship Launch Sparked Plenty of Buzz
While Johnson did not want to name his girlfriend, it seems some Bachelor Nation fans have figured out who she is. Apparently, the “Bachelor in Paradise” star’s girlfriend is Shareefa Gyami, a lifestyle influencer who lives in Austin, Texas. Her LinkedIn page shows she recently graduated from college.
Johnson pops up in at least one of her TikTok videos, and they both have been posting social media posts over the summer from Costa Rica. In addition, she shared Johnson’s birthday Instagram post to her Instagram Stories.
Bachelor Nation fans seemed excited for Johnson, overall. However, there is a significant age gap between Johnson, 35, and Gyami, 22, and that prompted a fair amount of commentary on “The Bachelor” subreddit.
“She’s gorgeous but I’m not a fan of the age gap,” admitted one Bachelor Nation fan.
“Aw I wanna see more of her. She looks gorgeous from what I can see. I’m glad he has been keeping her hidden,” one Redditor gushed.
“Black love. Gorgeous couple!! He would’ve been a wonderful bachelor but it worked out as she’s stunning,” added another.
“Best bachelor we never got. Glad he’s happy,” someone else detailed.
A comment on Johnson’s Instagram post read, “Mike no you didn’t just pop out with this beautiful melanated chocolate queen!!!! Yasss!! Y’all looked goodtt!! Y’all look blessed!! Rooting for y’all!! Love y’all!!”