Joan Vassos threw Bachelor Nation into a frenzy when she joked that her crush on Rob Lowe was so strong that she’d drop fiancé Chock Chapple “in one minute,” but it turns out the 9-1-1: Lone Star actor isn’t the only celeb she’s had her eye on. The 61-year-old widow, who recently starred in the first season of The Golden Bachelorette on the 2024 TV schedule, has also professed her love for Kevin Costner, and it turns out that actually played a part in keeping the ending of her season from being spoiled.
On The Golden Bachelorette Season 1 finale, which aired November 13 and can be streamed with a Hulu subscription, we watched Joan Vassos get engaged to Chock Chapple; however, that proposal actually took place in early August. That means the happy couple had to hide their relationship for three months so as to avoid spoilers, and part of doing that was coming up with aliases for each other in their phones. That’s where Kevin Costner enters the chat, as Vassos told Decider the Yellowstone star inspired Chapple’s pseudonym:
In my phone, he’s Kevin C — Kevin Costner. [Laughs]
I don’t think anybody can blame Joan Vassos for loving Kevin Costner. Field of Dreams? The Bodyguard? Are you kidding me? Between him and Rob Lowe, she’s definitely got good taste in celebrity crushes.
It must have been disappointing for her, then, when Yellowstone’s fifth and final season resumed to reveal (spoiler alert!) that John Dutton had been killed off. The Golden Bachelorette star talked about moving on from Kevin Costner — in more ways than one! She continued:
I love him. He’s not on this season though, so I’m sorry, Kevin Costner. You’re done. And today I’m gonna change [Chock's] name to a normal name in my phone because he’s still Kevin in my phone.
Wow, it’s a tough month for Kevin Costner. First, John Dutton dies in effect at the hands of his own son (in an episode that didn’t include Costner but still earned Yellowstone’s highest ratings ever), and now Joan Vassos is taking his name out of her phone? Way to kick a man while he’s down!
The reality star’s comments about the Bull Durham actor come not long after she expressed her love for Rob Lowe, in a Jimmy Kimmel Live! interview that made its way back to The West Wing veteran himself. Lowe had a hilarious response, joking that he could be the next Golden Bachelor, which was — according to him — even better than a Golden Globe.
At this point we’re not sure who will lead The Golden Bachelor Season 2, but it’s a safe bet it won’t be Rob Lowe, who is very, very married. Our money is on Mark Anderson, Jonathan Rone or Charles Ling … or maybe just whichever of Joan’s eliminated contestants hasn’t hard-launched a new relationship by next summer.
Time will tell, but for now Bachelor Nation fans are just biding our time while we wait for The Bachelor to premiere on the 2025 TV schedule, with Grant Ellis’ journey kicking off at 8 p.m. ET Monday, January 27, on ABC.
