Adams was rumored to be in the running for the gig before Clare Crawley's announcement in March.
This just might be the most dramatic season of The Bachelorette ever. ET learned in August that Tayshia Adams is the new Bachelorette, replacing Clare Crawley, who got engaged to contestant Dale Moss just two weeks into filming.
Adams, who was rumored to be in the running for the Bachelorette gig ahead of Crawley's announcement, first entered Bachelor Nation on Colton Underwood's season of The Bachelor, making it to the final three. She later appeared on Bachelor in Paradise last summer, where she connected with John Paul Jones, though they announced their split last October.
She told ET in February that she was single and ready to find the love of her life -- and would be "honored" if it happened on The Bachelorette. As we prepare to watch her journey on TV, here are five things to know about Adams.
1. She Fights for Change
Adams is our second Black Bachelorette, following Rachel Lindsay, but identifies as biracial, as she's Mexican on her mom's side. The 29-year-old is proud to fight for change for the Black community, as she posted a photo of herself at a protest for racial equality in June.
"I truly have never felt anything like I did yesterday. I have never been one to talk about my race because I have always been the minority. I never knew any different but also never wanted to bring attention to something that would make people see me differently/ not as an equal," she wrote.
"It wasn’t until 4th grade when I had my first cognitive encounter with someone not wanting to associate with me based on the color of my skin. My parents sacrificed so much in order for my siblings and I to be surrounded by people that encouraged me to embrace my uniqueness," Adams continued. "Don’t get me wrong there have been many along to way that have intentionally tried to make me feel inferior but I’ve been told since a young age that Gods light within will always be brighter than anyone trying to dim it.✨."
2. She's Been Married Before
Adams revealed on Underwood's season that she was previously married. Her ex-husband, Josh Bourelle, was her first boyfriend, and they were together for six years before their split. They divorced a year and a half after getting married. Adams told Underwood that she expected only to be married once, and fought hard to make her marriage work -- but at the end of the day, "You can’t make someone want to be married."
She opened up more about her split on Dean Unglert's podcast, Help! I Suck at Dating, last year. "I felt a lot of pressure to make sure that my marriage worked... I made sure to do everything I needed to do in order to know that I did everything I could at the end of the day. It definitely was scary to tell my parents it’s just not working out," she said.
"Before my divorce, I really wasn’t open with my parents about every single thing that was going on in my relationship slash me in general. But, because of my divorce, I opened up a lot more and they are now my closest friends in a way," Adams explained. "The fact that they are still married does put a pressure on you, in a way."
She also discussed her divorce on Tuesday's episode of The Bachelorette, revealing to contestant Brendan that her marriage ended due to infidelity, but "not on my part."
3. She's All About Family
Adams grew up in California's Orange County, and stayed pretty close to home for college, earning a Bachelor's degree in medical science from Concordia University in 2012. The former phlebotomist is extremely close to her parents, Rosario and Desmond, as well as her brothers, Desmond Jr. and Brice, and sister, Dominique.
As fans saw during Adams' hometown date on The Bachelor, her parents are protective over her following her divorce, but ultimately just want her to be happy.
Her father, Desmond, memorably uttered advice not to "microwave relationships" on The Bachelor, but ultimately offered his blessing for her to follow her heart.
4. She Has No Regrets About Her Bachelor Experience
Adams made waves on The Bachelor when she expressed concerns about an alleged conversation between Cassie Randolph and Caelynn Miller-Keyes about becoming The Bachelorette. She felt that the women weren't ready for marriage, and didn't hide those opinions. In an interview with ET the day after Underwood's 2019 finale, Adams stood by what she said.
"I mean, ultimately, Cassie wasn't ready for an engagement at the end, and that's what I said. I didn't make up anything," Adams reasoned. "She did what was right for her."
Underwood's finale saw him hop a fence and quit the show after Randolph decided to leave at final three. He ended his relationship with the two other women left, Adams and Hannah Godwin, to pursue a relationship with Randolph. The Huntington Beach, California, native wasn't ready to get engaged; she and Underwood announced their split in June after a year and a half of dating.
Adams was surprisingly composed at Underwood's After the Final Rose, telling ET that she moved on from the relationship in the days following their breakup.
On Instagram, she wrote she was "thankful" for the experience.
"I don’t think people understand the magnitude of vulnerability and faith this journey requires. I have always been a private person; I came into this experience having had my heart broken in the past, and only letting the closest ones to me in on what happened. So it was tough for me to go into this journey of looking for love again and publicly displaying every intimate detail of that relationship for everyone to not only see, but criticize. But looking back, I wouldn’t change it for the world," she wrote. "I have proven to myself that I have a lot to offer, I do deserve to be happy, in love, and to have someone fight for me. And although it wasn’t me at the end, I walk away from this experience choosing ME."
5. She's Ready for Adventure
Adams was known for her adventurous spirit on The Bachelor, after going bungee jumping with Underwood in Thailand, and skydiving with him during her hometown date in California. A quick scroll through Adams' Instagram and you'll see she's passionate about travel as well, posting pics from trips to Dubai, The Bahamas and Paris, to name a few.
That zest for excitement extends to Adams' love life. In a February interview with ET, she said, "I have to say, anything that comes my way, I am ready for. I am ready for love!"
"No matter where life takes me, I am open to all opportunities, and I don't think that this is where my TV presence will end," she added. "I would love to still interact with a lot of people in a beautiful way."
See more on The Bachelorette in the video below.
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