Who is the host of The Bachelor season 28?

America’s hit dating show is returning soon with another group of women competing for the heart of a bachelor

It’s already that time for The Bachelor fans to start planning their watch parties as season 28 is about to kick off.

This next installment of ABC’s hit reality series will see a group of 32 women vying for the heart of Joey Graziadei, the runner-up of The Bachelorette season 20.

The new season comes on the heels of the wildly successful Golden Bachelor spin-off, which saw the franchise’s first septuagenarian, Gerry Turner, find his second chance at love with his new wife Theresa Nist. The two recently tied the night on live television.

Below is everything you need to know about the host of the forthcoming season of The Bachelor.

Who is the host?

Former 2004 Bachelor alum Jesse Palmer returns as the host of season 28, after having rejoined the franchise in 2021. Palmer took over hosting duties from longtime host Chris Harrison, who was fired from the show after he made controversial comments in an Extra interview.

During the interview with the first Black Bachelorette star, Rachel Lindsay, Harrison sought to defend Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell against allegations of racist and offensive behaviour.

Jesse Palmer ‘The Bachelor’ host (Disney)

He has since apologised for “wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism”. Speaking out in his first interview in 2021 since the racism row, Harrison acknowledged that he’s “an imperfect man”. “I made a mistake and I own that,” he added. “I believe that mistake doesn’t reflect who I am or what I stand for.”

Who is the Bachelor?

In December, the series announced that Bachelorette fan-favourite Joey Graziadei would be the next bachelor. 28-year-old Graziadei is a tennis coach from Koloa, Hawaii.

During the finale of The Bachelorette’s season 20, viewers saw Charity Lawson pick Dotun Olubeko over Graziadei.

Who are the contestants?

Season 28 will see 32 women enter The Bachelor mansion to compete for roses and ultimately, Joey’s heart. Find the full list of contestants and their bios here.

Last year’s series saw Kaity Biggar win over the heart of then-26-year-old Zach Shallcross an Oracle sales executive from Anaheim Hills, California. They have since got engaged and recently moved in together in Austin, Texas.

The Bachelor’s season 28 premieres on Monday (22 January) at 5pm PT/8pm ET on ABC, with new episodes releasing weekly. US viewers will be able to stream the episode the next day on Hulu. British viewers may use a VPN to access ABC via the Hulu + Live TV app.