Olympian Ilona Maher says she’s not ruling out a possible run on ABC’s popular reality show, “The Bachelorette,” just yet. During a brand new interview, the elite rugby player, 29, said she’s seen the messages from people advocating for her to be the show’s next leading lady. While there’s nothing set in stone yet, Maher said she’d consider joining the show for one reason.
Speaking with OK, Maher said she’s been in communication with the producers of the long-running reality show about what a possible stint on the series could seem like for her.
“I’ve consulted with the team. I’ve consulted with Joey Graziadei,” she said, adding that there would must be some changes in her current situation for her to completely commit to this system.
“Joey would must executive produce. All my friends would must be involved,” she said.
Maher Says There’s One Reason She’d Be Interested In Becoming The Next Bachelorette On ABC
Elsewhere through the interview, Maher, a Bronze medalist on the 2024 Paris Olympics, said that she enjoys the series, calling it “really cool.”
And while she’s gone to turn into friends with people from the series, equivalent to Joey and Kelsey Anderson from season 28 of “The Bachelor,” Maher said she’d join the show for one more reason.
“But perhaps it could even be cool because I feel like I see one form of beauty standard on that show sometimes,” she said. “It might be cool for women to see me being courted by men and viewed as desirable without having to alter who I’m.”
In line with Maher, exposing the audience to something different “can be the rationale I’d do it.” She added, “So girls can watch and think, ‘Okay, she’s desired, she’s beautiful, and I don’t must change either.’ I don’t know if it’s within the cards for me, though.”
Maher Says The Fans Are Really Pushing For Her To Find Love On ‘The Bachelorette’
“Bachelorette” fans have been pushing several celebrities to throw their hats within the ring after ABC announced it was pulling Taylor Frankie Paul’s season from the air.
Maher said that she’s been inundated with messages about it since being on “Dancing with the Stars.”
“I really like my girls. They wish to see me find love so bad,” she said. “I might do it for you guys to observe — that’s the one reason. I don’t even know if I’d find love, however it can be funny to observe me. I’m not fully ruling it out.”
Drama Surrounding ABC’s Long-Running Reality Show
Season 22 of “The Bachelorette” would’ve been airing at once; nevertheless, ABC and Disney axed the season after its star, Paul, was involved in an alleged domestic dispute together with her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen.
“In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we now have made the choice to not move forward with the brand new season of The Bachelorette presently, and our focus is on supporting the family,” a Disney representative said.
Amid the news, a video of Paul appearing to assault Mortensen by hitting him and throwing chairs at him went viral, prompting her team to release a press release on her behalf.
“After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse in addition to threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to be certain that she and her children are shielded from any further harm,” her team said, per PEOPLE.
They added, “There are too many ladies who’re suffering in silence as they survive aggressive, jealous ex-partners who refuse to allow them to move on with their lives. Taylor has remained silent out of fear of further abuse, retaliation and public shaming. She is currently exploring all of her options, looking for support, and preparing to own and share her story.”
Former ‘Bachelor’ Star Says Paul Was Never The Right Fit For The Show
In line with a previous report from The Blast, several “Bachelor” alums spoke out after learning ABC had canned Paul’s season, including Rachel Lindsay and Ashley Iaconetti.
Iaconetti questioned why producers selected her to start with, stating that they were aware of her previous domestic violence charges, one among which led to her arrest in 2023.
Continuing, the “Real Housewives of Rhode Island” star said that charges alone should’ve been enough reason to rule her out.
“That wasn’t an appropriate role for her to fill,” she said, before adding, “and doubtless was not something that she was mentally, emotionally able to tackle for a lot of reasons—the incontrovertible fact that she was so intertwined with Dakota going into it being one among them.”