Tayshia Adams, Colton Underwood and More Bachelor Nation Stars Received $20,000 PPP Loans

Tayshia Adams, Colton Underwood and more reality TV stars have spoken out after facing criticism for receiving PPP loans amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Watch: Tayshia Adams & Kaitlyn Bristowe Talk Hosting “The Bachelorette”

Tayshia Adams, Colton Underwood and more Bachelor Nation stars are explaining why they received Paycheck Protection Program loans during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the Small Business Association, the PPP loans are given to small business owners to ensure they’re able to retain employees and cover the costs incurred by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. These loans are offered to independent contractors and self-employed persons, which technically includes reality stars and influencers, who list their work as Independent Artists, Writers and Performers.

Recently, sleuths on The Bachelor subReddit discovered several reality stars from Bachelor Nation applied for or received PPP loans of at least $10,000. E! News independently confirmed by this information by reviewing ProPublica and FederalPay.org’s online databases.

In January, Tayshia, who is currently co-hosting Katie Thurston‘s season of The Bachelorette, received a loan of $20,833 through the LLC Tayshia Adams Media. In a statement to E! News, the Newport Beach resident’s rep explained, “As a business owner, television and podcast host, and brand ambassador, Tayshia obtained a PPP Loan that enabled her to hire an employee (someone who was previously unemployed), to whom she offers market-based pay and benefits.”

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Her rep continued, “Since exhausting the PPP Loan funds, but in light of the growing economy, Tayshia has committed to retaining her employee for the foreseeable future.”

Likewise, Colton’s eponymous non-profit organization collected $11,355 in April 2020. However, the reality star’s rep explained, “Colton’s nonprofit filed for the PPP loan after their annual fundraising events were cancelled due to COVID. None of the PPP went directly to Colton. In fact, Colton has never received any form of payment from the foundation, all of the proceeds go directly to people living cystic fibrosis.”

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Additionally, Arie Luyendyk Jr. and wife Lauren Burnham, who recently welcomed twins and bought a vacation home in Hawaii this year, obtained a PPP loan of $20,830 in June 2020 through an LLC called “Instagram Husband.” Bachelor in Paradise alum Evan Bass secured $20,832.00 for his physicians practice in April 2020.

Dale Moss, who appeared on Clare Crawley‘s season of The Bachelorette, applied for a loan of $20,833, but ProPublica and FederalPay.org’s database shows the fund was not disbursed.

Arie, Lauren, Evan and Dale declined to comment on this story when contacted by E! News.

Numerous people on social media expressed dismay over the reality stars’ borrowing, including Bachelor Nation’s Nick Viall. The Viall Files podcast host tweeted, “What’s legal isn’t always right. What’s illegal isn’t always wrong. Don’t know everyone’s situation, but my gut tells any alum applying for a PPP is both savvy and s–tty. Interesting debate.”

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Bachelor Nation reality stars are not the only ones who have requested government assistance since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. 

According to NBC News, NFL star Tom Brady‘s sports performance and nutrition company, TB12, obtained a loan of $960,855 in April 2020. Additionally, NBC News reported artist Jeff Koons received a loan of up to $2 million.

Tayshia Adams, Kaitlyn Bristowe & Katie Thurston Proved How Joyful The Bachelorette Can Be

Tayshia and Kaitlyn's presence as the new hosts of The Bachelorette made the whole thing feel like IRL Tinder at a sleepover, but it's unfortunate to remember what it took to get here.

A new era for Bachelor Nation has arrived. 

We have now officially seen the first premiere in franchise history without Chris Harrison as the host, and we shouldn’t be surprised that it was really wonderful—and “wonderful” is not a word we often associate with anything Bachelor. Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams felt like old friends at a fancy sleepover, helping their single pal Katie Thurston swipe on Tinder IRL. They hyped her up, they offered commentary and they spied through a window with popcorn in hand, offering their opinions on guys with trucks. (They like them, for the record.)

It was so much fun, and it made the show feel more joyful than it has in a long time, if ever. Instead of a dark undercurrent of reality TV machinations, there was fun, laughter—and a sense that maybe everybody is here to have a good time.

Kaitlyn and Tayshia have been contestants and leads before, and they’re currently both in happy, engaged Bachelor Nation relationships. They’re the perfect choice to shepherd a new lead through her own journey to find TV love, and bringing them on feels like a no brainer. It just really sucks to remember how we got here, and that it wasn’t actually a no brainer at all. 

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Chris originally stepped down temporarily after screwing up in an interview with Bachelorette alum Rachel Lindsay, who has led the fandom in calling out the franchise’s myriad of bad choices over the past few years. She grilled Chris about contestant Rachael Kirckconnell‘s history of racist actions, like attending an Antebellum-themed party in college in 2018. Chris thought maybe celebrating the Old South was somehow less racist in 2018 than in 2021, and asked that people give Rachael, who went on to win Matt James‘ season, some “grace.” 

When Chris was replaced by Emmanuel Acho for the After the Final Rose special, Rachel Lindsay dealt with so much backlash for holding Chris accountable that she had to leave Instagram. Still, the interview was a turning point for the franchise. Kaitlyn and Tayshia were announced as co-hosts for Katie’s season, and then it was reported that a rotating roster of celebrities will helm Bachelor in Paradise. Now, Chris has stepped down permanently, and there’s an opportunity here to turn an aging, antiquated franchise into something fresh, fun—and maybe a little bit modern. 

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This isn’t even about Chris being a bad host, if you put aside the controversy surrounding him. You could even call him a very good host, in traditional terms. He was simply there, never taking the spotlight, never intentionally being noticed. He announced when it was time for the final rose, and offered platitudes when leads were weighing their options. He didn’t add anything, and that was intentional, but maybe what this show needed all along was a host or two who had something to say. 

Chris is also a divorced middle-aged white man who’s never been a contestant or a lead before, and who doesn’t actually know what it feels like to have to date 30 people at once. He’s also never been a person of color on national television, or a woman being slut-shamed on social media, or a virgin navigating a show famous for its Fantasy Suites, and yet, he was the only person there to give on-screen advice. He’s also one man, often dealing with a lead and 20-plus contestants, and he simply couldn’t be in two or more places at once. 

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Ideally, the franchise could go even further than Tayshia and Kaitlyn. The guys need someone to lean on too, so why not bring in Zac Clark and Jason Tartick, their respective fiancés? Have the couples there to give couples advice together, and then have the men there to help the men, and the women there to help the women. When the lead needs a minute (and we imagine someone in such a stressful position might need a lot of minutes), let the couples take over the spotlight and offer some of the wisdom they must have gained after their time on the show. 

A new host doesn’t erase the problems that this show has faced in the past surrounding mental health and support for its BIPOC contestants and lack of representation, but it’s at least a start. Here’s hoping Katie’s premiere was a beacon of more fun and less dark things to come. 

The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.