Gabby Windey is setting the record straight about why she was absent from The Bachelorette: Before the First Rose special. The Sunday, March 15 preview gave fans an inside glimpse at Taylor Frankie Paul’s upcoming season, which will kick off next week. Several Bachelorettes participated in the special, offering advice to Taylor and sharing memories from their own journeys. While fans were grateful for the trip down memory lane, we couldn’t help but notice a few former leads missing from the group. Gabby revealed why she wasn’t in the special episode.
Here’s what you need to know.
Gabby is looking forward to seeing Taylor’s Bachelorette journey
The Season 19 star spoke about her absence in an interview with Entertainment Tonight at the Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty on Sunday, March 15. She told the outlet she was “out of town” when the special was filmed.
“I’ve just been so busy so it’s hard to make everything work,” she said. “But, no, that’s amazing. I’m so happy for them just to get together again.”
She added that Taylor will make a great Bachelorette, calling the casting choice “genius.”
Gabby accepted a proposal from Erich Schwer in the Season 19 finale, but they broke up a few months later. In August 2023, Gabby came out during an appearance on The View, revealing she is dating comedian, Robby Hoffman.
“I always want to live my truth,” she said. “I have been seeing someone for a couple months. I’ve been keeping it a little more private [because] it is a bigger story and a bigger conversation. I’m dating a girl.”
Gabby and Robby tied the knot in January 2025 in Las Vegas.
The Bachelorette Season 22 premieres March 22 on ABC. It streams the following day on Hulu. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is streaming on Hulu.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK TAYLOR WILL BE A GOOD BACHELORETTE?
