ABC
Daisy Kent Shares Lengthy List of Reasons Why She Turned Down ‘The Bachelorette’ Offer
It’s true – Daisy Kent declined ABC’s offer to become the next Bachelorette and there’s a list of reasons behind her decision.
The Bachelor season 28 runner-up spilled the inside scoop during the Thursday, April 4, episode of the “Viall podcast,” admitting she was always never fully on board with being the next lead. Daisy, 25, told host Nick Viall that she was very “honest” and “transparent” with production about her concerns over the role and decided to respectfully decline the offer “two weeks before” After the Final Rose.
“There’s, like, a few reasons. One is my health is an aspect of it and I knew as the lead, it’s a lot on you — not only emotionally but also physically,” the reality star said, noting that production was “respectful” of her decision. “You’re up super late, it’s nonstop and I talked to a lot of past leads when [the show] was in talks with me and I just knew from a health point it would be a lot.”
Daisy was diagnosed with Ménière’s disease, a form of Lyme disease, when she was 17. Ménière’s is an “inner ear problem that can cause dizzy spells, also called vertigo, and hearing loss,” according to Mayo Clinic. She eventually lost her ability to hear and received a cochlear implant in 2023. Daisy joined the cast and her love story with Joey Graziadei, who is now engaged to fiancée Kelsey Anderson, later that year and shared her health journey on the show.
During her discussion with Nick, 43, the Minnesota native admitted that going on The Bachelor made her realize that she isn’t ready for an engagement. That also made it on the list of reasons why she said no to being Bachelorette Daisy.
“I think right now I just want to live and be happy. I’m always gonna jump for opportunities but I just think this specific opportunity wasn’t right for me right now,” she told the Bachelor season 21 alum.
Daisy also admitted that she didn’t want every aspect of her dating life on display for the public.
“I don’t think I could sit there and kiss someone and you know what I mean? So, I thought really long and hard about all of it,” she explained. “It wasn’t an easy decision I was wondering, like, after it got announced how I would feel … but I’m, like, so happy right now that I didn’t. So, it feels good [and] like I made the right decision for me.”
After Daisy said no to the gig, Bachelor Nation host Jesse Palmer and Bachelorette alum Charity Lawson announced Jenn Tran as the next lead during After the Final Rose. Jen, 26, made it to Joey’s final six women and will return to fans’ television screens as the first Asian-American Bachelorette in July!
