It’s safe to say Nick Viall didn’t expect Tayshia Adams to replace Clare Crawley as the Bachelorette when he joked she would have viewers “in bed by 8:30” if ABC named her the lead.
“She was very mad at me for that, which I was like, is that that bad? Great humans are often not great TV,” the 39-year-old former Bachelor explained on Us Weekly’s “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast. “I stand by that. … But I think it’s going to be a great season.”
Nick made headlines in March when he assured fans campaigning for Tayshia, 29, in the comments section of The Morning Toast’s Instagram page that Clare, 39, was a good choice for the season 16 lead.
When asked if he heard from Tayshia, Nick replied “indirectly,” revealing that he was told she unfollowed him on social media.
![Nick Viall Reveals Tayshia Adams Unfollowed Him for Bachelorette Shade](/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Nick-Viall-Reveals-Tayshia-Adams-Unfollowed-Him-for-Bachelorette-Shade.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all)
“I’ve heard from Tayshia a handful of [other] times, which I was like, ‘How does that bother you?’ I don’t understand,” he said before acknowledging that “we are all sensitive people in Bachelor Nation.”
Nick added that he thinks “Tayshia is wonderful” and his comment was more so to celebrate Clare’s casting.
“I thought she was wonderful then. That was really just supporting Clare,” he said on the podcast.
Us confirmed in August that ABC called in Tayshia to replace Clare after she found love with one of her suitors two weeks into filming the season. Fans will watch both women when The Bachelorette returns in October.
“I absolutely wish her the best and I hope, I hope she finds love. Assuming she is, in fact, the Bachelorette because for whatever reason, The Bachelor is still promoting Clare, heavily,” Nick quipped to Us, referring to ABC’s recent promos and posters for season 16.
He added: “I hope that Tayshia isn’t worried about my opinion, or truly anyone’s opinion while she’s filming the same way Hannah Brown wasn’t interested [or] didn’t care about other people’s opinions while she was filming and Clare [doesn’t care]. That usually is a recipe for very entertaining television.”