The Golden Bachelorette’s Joan Vassos celebrated another family milestone without Chock Chapple, but is it a sign that they’re compartmentalizing their lives? 62-year-old Joan was no stranger to looking for love on national television. She appeared as a contestant during the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor. When she had to leave early due to a family emergency, she was cast as The Golden Bachelorette. While Joan was a reality television veteran, 60-year-old Chock was making his first foray into dating on TV. Still, the couple fell in love and got engaged during the season finale.
From the moment Joan and Chock got engaged during The Golden Bachelorette season 1, they were determined to bring their families together. They have six children between them, and they’re both really close to their kids, so it was obviously very important for them to bring their families together. This has proven itself to be more difficult and more complicated than Joan and Chock expected. They even got their families together over the holidays, which seemed to be a good sign. Since then, the couple have spent more time together without their children around.
Joan & Chock’s Family Drama Started On Day One
Joan’s Children Had Serious Concerns
Joan was married to John Vassos for 32 years, and they had four children together before he passed away in 2021. Their children are all adults now, with children of their own, making Joan a three-time grandmother. For his part, Chock was married to Heather Chapple for 12 years before they divorced. They had two children together, who are now in their early 20s. Joan currently lives in Maryland, near her family, while Chock lives in Kansas with his family. They travel back and forth to be together, and have been focused on spending as much time together as possible.
Joan and Chock met each other’s children during The Golden Bachelorette season 1. Joan met Chock’s two children, Taylor and Tyler Chapple, during hometown visits. Chock met several of Joan’s children when they traveled to meet him during the series finale. Joan’s children told Chock that they were concerned that he’d try to replace their late father, but he assured them that he had no intention of doing so. His response seemed to satisfy them, but it’s unclear if their concerns have persisted.
Joan Had Two Separate Birthdays
In Maryland & NYC
Since leaving The Golden Bachelorette, Joan and Chock have been together a lot, but he was absent from an important family event. Joan recently turned 62 and posted Instagram photos and footage from her birthday celebration. It was impossible not to notice that Chock was conspicuously missing from the event. Several of her children and grandchildren were there, gathered around her as Joan celebrated her 62nd trip around the sun. Though it’s possible Chock simply couldn’t get away, it seems noteworthy that he wasn’t there.
It could be a bad sign that Chock didn’t attend Joan’s family event, while her family didn’t appear at her event with Chock.
The Golden Bachelorette had a second birthday event. Joan and Chock posted Instagram photos from their trip to New York where they celebrated Joan’s birthday with friends. None of their children were present. It could be a bad sign that Chock didn’t attend Joan’s family event, while her family didn’t appear at her event with Chock. It could be nothing. It could just be a coincidence, but it could also mean Joan and Chock have given up on bringing their families together. It’s possible they decided to focus on each other for now, and worry about blending their families later.
Joan’s Family Comment Explained
“Little Harder Right Now”
One of the great things about Joan and Chock’s relationship is how transparent they’ve been about their union. Getting engaged later in life is complicated, and rife with many pitfalls. Instead of pretending to be perfect, Joan and Chock have been open about their challenges, which many people have found inspiring and useful. It’s why Joan and Chock’s social media followings have expanded so rapidly. Joan has 188K Instagram followers and Chock has 79K. Many people are interested in seeing Joan and Chock work through the challenges of starting a new relationship later in life.
It’s probably a wise decision for Joan and Chock to put family issues on the back burner to focus on their relationship first.
Since getting engaged on The Golden Bachelorette season 1, Joan and Chock tried to blend their families, but it hadn’t gone as planned. In December, Joan and Chock posted an Instagram clip in which they discussed bringing their families together, which Joan confesses has been a “little harder right now”. They didn’t share details, but it’s clear that Joan and Chock have family drama to work through. It’s probably a wise decision for Joan and Chock to put family issues on the back burner to focus on their relationship first.
Chock Missed Another Family Event
Another Missed Birthday Dinner
Joan recently traveled to Philadelphia to celebrate her son’s girlfriend’s birthday, and The Golden Bachelorette posted an album of photos to Instagram. Once again, Chock was missing from all the photos. Though he could have been there anyway, it’s doubtful that Joan would fail to include a photo of him. Hopefully, it’s just a matter of scheduling, as Chock runs a successful insurance agency in Kansas. Joan and Chock are a great couple, so everyone’s rooting for them. It would be sad if they couldn’t make the relationship work due to family drama.
