Why Did Joan Vassos Leave ‘The Golden Bachelor’? Inside Her Surprising Exit From Gerry’s Season

Before Joan Vassos was cast as the leading lady on season 1 of The Golden Bachelorette, she was a contestant on Gerry Turner’s season of The Golden Bachelor. However, she self-eliminated from the show during the October 12, 2023, episode.

Why Did Joan Vassos Leave ‘The Golden Bachelor

Joan left The Golden Bachelor for a family emergency. She received a text from her daughter, who had just had a baby 15 days prior, and knew she had to head home. “I got a text this morning, and I think I need to go home and be a mom right now,” she told Gerry. “So as much as I don’t want to leave — and I don’t want to leave our journey — I got to be a parent.

After her exit episode aired, she added on Instagram, “It’s a privilege to be a mom to four amazing kids and a grandmother (they call me Jojo) to two beautiful grandchildren. But once a mom, always a mom and sometimes the timing doesn’t work out with finding love.”

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During the Women Tell All episode in November 2023, Joan revealed that her daughter had been struggling with postpartum depression. She also told The Wrap that she had plans to return to the show after dealing with the family matter.

“I got home, and my plan was to give [my daughter] some care — I needed to get her some mental Health care,” she explained. “I was in the process of doing that, and I was approached, and they said, ‘Do you want to come back?’ and I said, ‘Yeah, I’d love to come back, let me see how I’m doing with my daughter.’” Less than one week after Joan went home, production booked her a flight to come back on the show, but she didn’t end up taking it because her “daughter wasn’t doing good again.”

However, by the time she gave her Instagram update in October 2023, she confirmed that “everyone is now Healthy and happy.”

What Happened to Joan Vassos on ‘The Golden Bachelor’?

Joan clearly captured Gerry’s attention, and even scored a one-on-one date with him after outshining the other women thanks to the poem she wrote during a group date. Over dinner, however, Joan shared that she had a “really hard time” leaving her home and family, telling Gerry that she had “a lot of responsibilities” waiting for her. 

“I have a daughter who just had a baby 15 days ago – a C-section, not an easy delivery, not an easy baby,” Joan told Gerry. “But for the first time in my life, I thought, ‘I am really going to do something for myself, because I think I’m ready and this is an opportunity that I just can’t let go.'”

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The leading man ended the evening by giving Joan a rose, but she left the show shortly after that. “My heart maybe got a little fix from Gerry. He’s helped with the journey,” Joan said while in the car leaving the mansion, no doubt reflecting on the shared experience they both have of losing a spouse. “Because as you get older, you become more invisible. People don’t see you anymore. Like, you’re not as significant as when you’re young.” 

As for Gerry, he understood Joan’s decision to leave, saying that they both share the same “moral compass.” “Sometimes the right thing to do is the hardest,” he told her. 

Joan Vassos Was Cast for Season 1 of ‘The Golden Bachelorette’

It wasn’t long before Joan got to try for another shot at love. In May 2024, it was announced that she would be starring on season 1 of The Golden Bachelorette, which filmed during June and July 2024 and premieres on September 18, 2024.

“I really want love,” she said after the casting news was announced. “I want to have somebody in my life. I feel like life is better when you share it with somebody. I truly believe all of that.” Joan is a widow following the death of her husband in 2021.