A Deep Dive Into Joan Vassos, ‘The Golden Bachelorette’s First Leading Lady
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Jenn Tran‘s season of The Bachelorette has just concluded, and it’s time for another Bachelor Nation supreme to rise to the occasion. This time around, it’s the first Golden Bachelorette, Joan Vassos.
After the wildly popular inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor, it makes sense that Gerry Turner had to share the groundbreaking wave with one of his ladies. The Golden Bachelorette is one of the most highly-anticipated shows of the fall.
Her 24 suitors have been revealed. One of them is a recognizable face, Mark Anderson, who is Kelsey Anderson‘s dad. Kelsey is the winner of Joey Graziadei‘s season of The Bachelor, and they are happily engaged. So, now, it’s time to get to know Joan a little better right in time before the show starts.
What does Joan do for a living?
The 61-year-old is still working and got a new position in September 2021. She’s currently a school administrator in her home state of Maryland. Her job is focused on alumni relations and the annual giving of the Landon School.
According to her LinkedIn, she was previously employed as a special projects consultant and interior designer. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer science in 1985. Quite impressive!
Who was Joan married to before The Golden Bachelorette?
Joan was married for 32 years to her husband, John Vassos. He died at age 59 in 2021 from pancreatic cancer. They were married for over three decades, and Joan still holds him in extremely high regard. In January 2024, she commemorated the anniversary of his death with a special post.
“It’s been three years…,” she started her message. “I’d have to name the tallest building in the world to do him justice. Every floor would stand for something kind he did for someone, the good deeds are too many to mention.” She gushed that her late husband “always made me feel safe and cherished. He was the parent that was always the fun one because that’s all he knew how to do… lucky kids because fun in his book was generally epic.”
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Does Joan have any kids?
Yes, Joan and her late husband have four kids and two grandkids. Her children’s names are Allison, Nicholas, Erica, and Luke.
Being a family person meant that it was hard for Joan to be away from her kids while filming The Golden Bachelorette. Luckily, her daughters Allison and Erica had a solution: a digital picture frame. “I would come home every night from filming tired,” Joan told TV Insider. “My little frame would be sending me the grandbabies on the Fourth of July or at the swimming pool. It was the greatest.”
Does Joan want to get married again?
After joining Gerry’s season of The Golden Bachelor, Joan said she was ready to love someone new again after becoming a widow three-and-a-half-years before taping the show.
While talking to TVInsider, she revealed what she wants out of relationship in her golden age: “To be spontaneous and take a trip but also have the person you’re comfortable with just sitting at home and watching Netflix or having a glass of wine on your back deck.”
Joan even said that a potential marriage might even be on the table for her. “If I found the right person. I would be open to getting married again, ” she concluded.
What happened between Joan and Gerry Turner?
Joan stepped out of the competition that made her a known presence in Bachelor Nation to take care of her daughter. She had just given birth and was struggling with postpartum depression. The ever-loving mother always puts her children first, and no potential man could ever stand in the way of that. Gerry understood this.
Even though Joan self-eliminated herself in Week 3 of Gerry’s stint as the Golden Bachelor, the two are still friendly. Joan even commended Gerry and Theresa Nist for realizing that their marriage wasn’t going to work.
Joan opened up about their status after The Golden Bachelor. “He’s a very, very good friend,” she told PEOPLE. “He did this so well. He kind of created the road map that we have now. There’s no rulebook, and he kind of wrote it a little bit.”
She revealed the advice he gave her before she filmed The Golden Bachelorette. “He said that’s what you need to be from day one, because you don’t have a lot of time,” Joan said. “This is a quick journey. You can’t leave anything on the table. I feel like day one, starting conversation one, everything you do here is important.”
The Golden Bachelorette, Series Premiere, September 18, 8/7c, ABC
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