On Us Weekly’s “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast, The Bachelor Nation’s Jade Roper from Season 19 opened up about her Playboy conversation with Chris Soules. If you followed their journey back in 2015, you may remember that Soules sent her home after their hometown date when she revealed her past modeling shoots to him.
According to the reality TV star, she never felt pressured to do anything on the show. However, she knew all too well that the Playboy shoot was something that the producers wanted her to bring up. It was definitely a moment she had been dreading at the back of her mind – it wasn’t an “if” but a “when.”
Looking back at it, she realized that if she had just told them that she wasn’t going to do it, then they would have pivoted. “And I never would have felt forced to [talk about it on the show].”
Another realization that hit her was that she wished she would’ve felt more empowered when discussing it. However, at that time, there was a bit of slut-shaming, which made her feel very ashamed of herself.
Let’s Go Back in Time
Roper grew up in Gering, Nebraska, and Soules, a farmer from Arlington, Iowa, assumed she would be like all the small-town girls – quiet and innocent – and thought they would share the same values. However, after their hometown date, he discovered that that wasn’t the case.
In a blog he wrote for People, he shared that talking to her family made him quickly realize that he didn’t know “the real Jade.”
He said, “The Jade I knew was quiet, shy, almost meek. I was intrigued by what her family was saying but almost disturbed by the fact that the Jade I knew was so different from what they were describing.” That is because, according to Roper’s family, she was a “free spirit” and a “wild mustang.”
Sure, he wanted his future wife to have some edge so they could unleash, let go, and have some fun, but that wasn’t just his idea of “edge.” Soules also added that he was reluctant to look at her nude photos because they made him feel extremely uncomfortable. He did clarify that the photos weren’t a dealbreaker.
He explained that there were things in his past that he wasn’t proud of, and if Jade were his soulmate and “the one,” then he would never let her past come in between them. What changed was how he felt about her after meeting the other girls’ families – it wasn’t just strong enough to take their relationship to the next level. So, he sent her home in fourth place.
Times Have Changed Since Then
Back then, the topic of sex and nudity in the franchise was taboo, and Roper, who posed for Playboy, had to face the struggle of being stereotyped. However, times have changed, and she shared in the podcast that “they’re having more real conversations about it and letting women step into their own power.”
She specifically addressed Bachelorette Season 11 star Kaitlyn Bristowe, who grabbed headlines after her very intimate moment with Nick Viall during their date in Ireland long before the Fantasy Suite overnight. Bristowe faced backlash over it, but more people had grown aware that it wasn’t okay to judge a woman on things she was allowed to do.
Jade Roper may not have won Chris Soule’s heart with her risque Playboy photos, but she did win Tanner Tolbert‘s on Bachelor in Paradise Season 2. They are now married with three children: Emerson, Brooks, and Reed.
You can check Bachelor’s Jade Roper’s podcast interview where she reveals 1 regret about her Playboy shoot by playing the video below.
