‘Bachelorette’ Season 17 Premiere Date Revealed

The Bachelorette is officially back for the summer. On Wednesday, the official Twitter account for the ABC series revealed that the newest season of The Bachelorette, which will star Katie Thurston, will premiere on June 7. As they previously announced, another season of The Bachelorette will air later this year with Michelle Young as the lead.

To announce the exciting news, The Bachelorette‘s Twitter account posted a brief clip of Thurston handing out a rose. She could then be seen holding up a heart that included the premiere date, June 7, and the time that the show will premiere, 8 p.m. ET. It was previously announced during the After the Final Rose special for Matt James’ season of The Bachelor that there would be two women from his season taking over Bachelorette duties. While a premiere date has not yet been announced for Young’s season, it is expected to air sometime in the fall.

In light of the situation surrounding Chris Harrison, who announced that he was taking a step back from the franchise after he defended contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s alleged racist pre-show actions during an interview with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay, two former Bachelorettes — Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe — have been tapped to host the upcoming season of the series. During an interview with Good Morning America, Thurston spoke about these changes for the franchise. She also noted that there will be a “big reset” when it comes to the production, as PEOPLE noted.

“I think they’re on the wrong side of history. It’s 2021,” Thurston said regarding the fact that some viewers have said that they won’t watch the upcoming season with Harrison not in the hosting role. “I support Chris and everything that he’s doing, and I think that this is the best decision. … I really feel like this is the big reset. There have been a ton of uncomfortable conversations, but important conversations.” Young, who also took part in the Good Morning America interview, added that she will always push for more diversity as she prepares to lead her own season of The Bachelorette. She explained, “They know that I’m going to push forward to make an impact in a positive way, and I think they’re kind of jumping on my train to do that with me.”