The show must go on for The Bachelorette—one way or another. During an appearance on the Chicks in the Office podcast, Robert Mills, head of alternative programming at ABC, discussed what exactly is going on with the upcoming season starring Clare Crawley.
Clare was announced as the new star of The Bachelorette in early March. By March 11, ABC announced the contestants for season 16, which was set to debut in May, but production was halted as the coronavirus spread across the world.
With production on hold, host Chris Harrison said ABC was going back to the casting well, for men closer in age to the star who is now 39 years old, and because time commitments have changed for those previously cast.