The reality lead let Cosmo tag along ahead of her Aladdin debut and spilled on The Golden Bachelorette and the surprising person she texted ABC executive producers about.
Nearly a year after Bachelor Nation fell in love with school administrator Joan Vassos on The Golden Bachelor (and watched her selflessly self-eliminate over her daughter’s medical emergency), our favorite Golden Girl is making her return to the ever-iconic Bachelor Mansion for a “second, second chance” at finding love.
Cue: Joan helming the first-ever season of The Golden Bachelorette, which premiered on Wednesday. While fans of the show followed the 61-year-old’s latest journey kick off on screen, off screen, Joan had her sights elsewhere this week: Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway!
Joan made her Broadway debut as the Fortune Teller in Aladdin while celebrating her new Bachelor Leading Lady status, and she let Cosmo come hang out with her during her theater fitting and rehearsal.
“I’m so lucky that I get to do this when there are people all over the world whose dream this is, and I get to be here one night because I was on this reality TV show,” Joan told Cosmo. “I’m also incredibly excited and a little nervous! I don’t usually get very nervous, but this is maybe one of the scariest things I’ve ever done.”
As our Golden Bachelorette was fitted and prepped, she gave a full play-by-play of what filming limo entrances for the ABC series was really like and dished on the texts she maaaay or may not have sent executive producers about wanting to cast Kelsey Anderson’s dad. (Admit it: you would have, too! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ) Read on for the convo.
Don’t forget to watch Joan continue her journey on The Golden Bachelorette every Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, streaming the next day on Hulu.
First of all, congrats on Aladdin! What an opportunity! What was it like when you got the call offering you the role?
I was actually on the phone [with ABC] about Golden Bachelorette season stuff, and they said, “We have a surprise for you.” And when they finally told me, I was like, “This is the opportunity of a lifetime!” People hope for this their entire life. I almost feel bad that I get to do it because there are so many people who are in theater and dream about being on Broadway, and I just get to be here. It’s a dream come true and probably the coolest offer I’ve ever had, including being the Golden Bachelorette. *laughs*
How did you prepare to take the stage as a Broadway newbie?
I only have a little speaking part, but the show sent me my lines right away and I literally practiced them every day for probably a month and a half because I’m afraid! I’ve never been on a live stage like this. I’ve done reality TV so I’ve gotten used to that, but this? You’re not winging it, and so you have to do it right. I’ve been practicing and practicing and practicing, and I finally get a rehearsal on the day of the show. Gosh, I hope I don’t mess it up.
I trust you won’t! There are so many reality stars who have similarly gone on to land roles on stage. (Ariana Maddox in Chicago comes to mind.) Did you have anybody, whether from the reality TV world or not, who you called to get advice on this?
Honestly, I didn’t know anyone who’s done this before, but the person who happens to be doing my makeup this week started out as a theater person. I was like, “I’m going to tell you my lines. Tell me how you would deliver them because I have no idea.”
I also asked her things like whether I should speak a certain way or place emphasis on certain words, so I ran through my lines for her and she said, “I think that’s fine” because they’re that simple. I’m definitely overthinking it, but I really want to make sure I’m doing it right.
How are you going to add your own Joan spin to your character?
I want to ask Jasmine and Aladdin how the person who actually does this for a living does it. *laughs* I also want to stream Aladdin so I can watch how the Fortune Teller really says the lines to get it just right.
Are there any Golden Bachelorette references in the performance?
I think what makes this role really good—and likely why I was picked for it—is that Jasmine and Aladdin come up to me, the Fortune Teller, because they want to know about love. So there’s a great connection to the show. After all, that’s also all about love.
Which lessons have you taken from your experience as the show’s lead and applied to this Broadway role?
I think that stepping out of your comfort zone and being scared is healthy. So I immediately said “yes” to this and then thought, “what have I done?” Because it’s scary!
But I’ve made it my policy in the last maybe year and a half to step out of my comfort zone because otherwise you just get stuck at a place in life—especially when you get to be my age. It’s easy to simply exist and be happy with your world, but there’s a chance you can make it better. And you have to step out of your comfort zone to do that. So the biggest lesson I took from The Golden Bachelorette and applied to this is to do it even though it’s scary.
Take me back to day one of filming this season and what that night was like for you. What stands out the most in your memory?
Back when I was on The Golden Bachelor day one, I was terrified. You come out of the limo and you don’t know what to expect! Day one as the Golden Bachelorette, on the other hand, was completely comfortable. But I had all this angst for the guys because I knew they were in the limo this time and how scary it was for me.
That night, I felt a lot of emotions. I was excited about meeting them, but I was also a little bit skeptical that maybe a lot of men didn’t apply to this because—if I think about older men in general—they’re generally not doing anything that’s scary. They’re going out with their friends or watching sports on TV. They’re eating the food that they’ve liked all their life, and they don’t do anything different. So I was afraid that maybe ABC wouldn’t get a lot of applicants for this and I wouldn’t connect with somebody. Luckily, it all worked out and I had many connections that night, which felt very good and like such a relief.
But then I became worried for the men and my focus turned to making sure they felt comfortable while also dealing with feeling a little overwhelmed. I had to remember 24 names and what everyone said to me because at the end of the night, there was a rose ceremony and you have to really be conscious of what you’re doing. These are important decisions.
During that rose ceremony, you paused and spoke with host Jesse Palmer about the wave of emotions you felt. Can you speak to that moment and why you felt like you needed to take a beat? In my opinion, it was a point when you showed great empathy and grace.
Night one is hard because people give a lot up to be on the show. They leave their families, they leave their homes, they leave their dogs and their friends. They leave their comfort zone. And to only be able to do the show for one day—I didn’t want them to think that they had lost in some way, or that I didn’t choose them for a reason. I wanted them to know they had all kind of already won. That they made it this far and they did something really brave by coming out into the world and showing people (and themselves) they were available and ready to meet somebody. It’s something adventurous and brave and speaks to how someone at our age can still be ready to live life.
I wanted more roses in the long run, honestly. I wanted them all to stay, but sadly that couldn’t happen. And so I had to go and reset a little bit. Talking to Jesse was helpful because he has been the Bachelor at one point, so he truly gets how you’re feeling. After resetting and taking a deep breath, I went back in and even made a little bit of another speech because, once again, I wanted to reiterate how important and brave all these men were.
But I only had four roses left at that point, and I remember looking out at these men and seeing their hopeful faces. It was really, really hard. It’s way harder than you think. I’d imagined it was going to be hard because I’ve been on the other side, but even with that experience, it was still so much harder than I imagined.
A surprise that I’m sure Bachelor Nation fans loved was getting to see Kelsey Anderson’s dad step out of that limo on night one after being introduced by his daughter. Did you expect to see Mark there?
Leading up to that, I thought I might see him because it’d been teased a lot. It’s actually really funny, and you’re the first person I’m telling this to, but that night when I was watching Joey [Graziadei’s] show and Kelsey was introducing him to her family and to her dad, I texted one of the executive producers and said, “If I’m the Golden Bachelorette, I need Mark on my season.” I swear to God I did that.
Oh, wait. That’s so funny!
I could show you the text.
I love that!
Then during Joey and Kelsey’s finale, Mark was in the audience. And when Jesse asked, “Hey, are we going to see you next season?” they panned the camera to him and he laughed and didn’t give a yes or a no. So in my mind, I thought maybe he would be there.
But then that first night, I kept waiting for limos and waiting for limos. They kept coming and coming and coming, and I honestly thought he might not show, until finally Kelsey emerged and I knew it was happening.
You put two and two together.
I was like, It’s about time.
On the subject of this season’s contestants, it feels as though there’s an immense sense of camaraderie among everybody.
Isn’t it crazy? They loved each other.
It’s honestly endearing! Is there a moment you can think of that’s emblematic of that sense of camaraderie? Did it make it harder because they’re such a good cohort of men?
Yeah, it’s like you feel terrible sending one home because they’re best friends.
I can imagine!
Interestingly enough, I don’t get to see what’s happening in the mansion other than when I’m there. So I’ve only now seen the stuff that happened on night one, and I love how they cheer each guy on when they come in. But the thing that’s emblematic of the whole season is when we show the video of everyone’s daughters and sons and families, and some of them are tearing up and feeling very nostalgic because they just left their loved ones.
As I said, it’s hard being away from them. And they know this could potentially be a pretty long journey, but it’s only night one. Yet they’re already feeling it, and they’re helping each other and patting each other on the back. They were really understanding, and that was probably the moment when they bonded for life and became forever friends. It’s almost like they already shed a tear in front of everybody, so now everything’s free.
On a different note, woven throughout the episode is this internal struggle you face when it comes to your late husband and guilt about moving on but knowing he would want you to do so, and your own conviction that you’re finally ready and deserving of this opportunity. I know it’s difficult to put a neat bow on those feelings, but where do you stand on that today? Did being the lead on the show force you to combat them head-on?
That’s a great question because that’s exactly what happened. I went on the show thinking I was ready, but I never had strong feelings for another man after John passed away. I never really connected with anybody even though I did date a little bit.
So when I started making strong connections with a few of the men, it all of a sudden hit me. And I had no idea; I didn’t expect this. People had been asking all throughout the journey, “Are you 100 percent ready? Are you 100 percent?” And I kept saying, “Yes, yes.” But then all of a sudden, I was like, “No, I’m not 100 percent ready. Now I’m not sure if I’m ready at all.” However, as you said, you’re encouraged to face these things. You have to, because you have to make quick decisions. This is a fast journey, so you have to get through your emotions quickly.
Luckily, the Bachelor franchise does a good job of supporting you. They have psychiatrists available, and they’re on set and you can access them anytime you want: before the show ever airs, before you’re even on the show, and even afterward. They’re always available to you. So I definitely thought to myself, I’m going to need that.
I got really, really good advice from the psychiatrists. They actually both came and met with me that day and I said, “I’m having a hard time letting go of John. And I feel like people keep saying, ‘Are you ready?’ And I can’t let go of John.” And they told me, “You don’t need to let go of John. Picture it like this: You have a balloon in both hands, and John is one balloon while this other potential person is in the other hand. You don’t have to let go of this balloon to hold onto this one. John can always be in your heart and in your memories. He’s part of you and you don’t have to let it go.”
And that was all I needed. I just had to get this little bit of advice on how to navigate through that, because I didn’t know how to do it. I would’ve never known that had I not spoken to them, and I probably still would’ve struggled with that to this day.
That’s great advice.
And I think it applies to so many others who watch the Bachelor franchise, too. It’s such a reassuring thing to hear.
I actually know that one of the more famous faces watching is Kendall Jenner, which is cool. Is there anyone else you’d be psyched to learn tuned into The Golden Bachelorette?
Oh my gosh, there are tons! I mean, I think the whole Jenner family tunes in, which is the coolest thing. They’re probably the biggest, most iconic family of women that you would be amazed actually loves to watch this stuff. I also have celebrity crushes, but I doubt that they’re watching. I wish they would, though!
To be honest though, I love to know that people I’ve watched on television my whole life and really respect—news reporters like Robin Roberts and the GMA people—still enjoy watching people fall in love and have a little bit of a mushy side.
I’m sure they can’t wait to watch you be the first-ever Golden Bachelorette! It’s a huge distinction. Did you feel the weight of having that kind of legacy throughout the season, or did you try not to think about it too much?
A little bit of both. I do feel like it’s a big responsibility, and I look back at Trista [Sutter (neé Rehn)], who was the original Bachelorette and handled her journey with such grace, all the while being so much younger than me. And her outcome was perfect. She has this lovely husband and children, and they lived happily ever after. So I felt as though she was the person I wanted to emulate, and I even spoke to her about her experience.
There was also this continuous feeling I had of not wanting the story to solely be about me. I’m one small person in this massive group of millions of people in the second half of life who’ve found themselves single. And there are a lot of us who didn’t want to be there, some who are very comfortable with it, and some who have simply lost all hope of finding someone. It’s just too hard. The pool of people is small and it requires a lot of effort, some people think it’s not dignified, and some people think they’re being selfish and shouldn’t think that they deserve a second chance at love.
So there are all of these emotions going around that I really felt I had the opportunity to change a bit. It’s a way bigger responsibility than finding love for myself. I want people like me to not give up because you only get one chance at life, and you don’t want to have any regrets in the end. You need to put yourself out there and do it in a big way.
That’s a great way of thinking about it and nice advice for others to hear. On the flip side, what advice would you give to Day One Joan just before beginning to film the limo entrances, now that you’re on the other side of this experience?
I wish I knew it would all be okay before I ever started that first night because I was so terrified that there weren’t going to be a lot of applicants. I was also thinking, What if on the first night, none of these people are a good match for me? After all, you really don’t know how many people are actually interested in being on this journey. It’s a lot. I thought maybe men are more vulnerable and fragile as they get older, so they might not want to put themselves out there in this way. I was nervous about potentially ending up with nobody.
You also put yourself out there and expose yourself to many, many people. And we all understand how social media is: you open yourself up to criticism. But then after those limo entrances, I was like, I’ve been worried for a really long time for nothing. Everything’s going to be all right.
