Bachelor fans were left wondering about Kelsey Toussant’s background after she revealed on the show how religion caused her estrangement from her father.
During the Monday, February 19, episode of the dating series, Kelsey, 32, told Bachelor Joey Graziadei that her dad cut her out of his life after she went against the family’s religious beliefs.
“Because I chose to go to college, he didn’t support that decision at all,” she explained. “Anyone who was in his household has to be in the religion, and so I wasn’t allowed to be there anymore… and that hurt.”
While Kelsey did not specify what religion she was raised in during the conversation, she previously opened up about her upbringing during an August 2019 interview with Voyage LA magazine.
“When high school came around, I joined a theater class and that’s when I realized I wanted to pursue creativity for the rest of my life. At the same time, I was a full-blown Jehovah’s Witness and I knew the two couldn’t coexist,” she told the outlet at the time. “So, I decided to leave the religion and set my focus on attending California State University, Northridge.”
Kelsey noted that her “very strict religious background” meant she “had to break out of a mentality that I’ve had for more than half my life.”
She continued: “I was so separated from society and didn’t even realize it and I’ve had to play catch-up ever since. From rebuilding relationships with family and friends to watching movies I wasn’t able to experience. Even to this day, friends of mine will ask if I’ve seen certain movies and they can’t believe that as an actress I haven’t seen some of the most iconic films!”
During Monday’s Bachelor episode, Kelsey told Joey, 28, that although she is in the process of reconnecting with her dad, his behavior “affected the way I trust” in relationships.
“Because if someone can be there for you in the beginning and then just totally go away, it’s hard,” she explained.
Joey assured Kelsey that she has “every reason to have those trust issues” and praised her for being “resilient” and “strong.”
The candid conversation came after the pair went to a Cirque du Soleil class, which an instructor informed them would test the trust between them.
“There is a lot of intimacy in something like this,” Joey told cameras of the date activity. “Today is about trust. Building it [and] believing in it.”
Joey gave Kelsey a rose at the end of the date.
The Bachelor airs Mondays on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.
