Karla Sofía Gascón at the Golden Globes earlier this month.
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
"Emilia Pérez" star Karla Sofía Gascón has deactivated her X account following backlash over old tweets.
Fans had highlighted negative tweets that appear to have been posted by Gascón as recently as 2021.
"I can no longer allow this campaign of hate and misinformation to affect me and my family," Gascón said.
"Emilia Pérez" star Karla Sofía Gascón has deactivated her X account after coming under fire for controversial past social media posts.
The actor, who made history as the first transgender performer to be nominated in the Oscars' best actress category, said in a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter that she apologized for her "erroneous" past opinions and that she had deactivated her account as she could "no longer allow this campaign of hate and misinformation" to affect her or her family.
"I have been threatened with death, insulted, abused and harassed to the point of exhaustion," she added. "I have a wonderful daughter to protect, whom I love madly and who supports me in everything."
In a separate statement via Netflix, the actor acknowledged the "conversation" around her past posts, adding: "As someone in a marginalized community, I know this suffering all too well and I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain."
On Thursday, the Canadian journalist Sarah Hagi shared screenshots on X of posts that appeared to have been made by Gascón. Business Insider couldn't verify all the screenshots, and some posts seem to have been deleted.
The screenshots contained disparaging remarks about Muslims and Islam.
The posts were written in Spanish but translated through Google by Hagi. This sparked more social media users to search for and share screenshots of other posts that appear to be from Gascón.
Gascón wrote in other posts, seen by BI, that all religions should be banned. In a post from 2020, the actor referred to the COVID-19 vaccine as "the Chinese vaccine" and said it had a chip inside it.
Variety reported that in a post shared in 2021, Gascón referred to the Oscars ceremony that year as an "Afro-Korean festival" and "ugly, ugly gala." That year Daniel Kaluuya, a Black British actor, and Yuh-jung Youn, a South Korean actor, both won Oscars.
Variety also highlighted another deleted post from 2020 that was shared days after George Floyd's death in which Gascón referred to him as "a drug addict and a hustler."
Representatives for Netflix, Gascón, and the Academy did not respond to requests for comment from BI.
Zoe Saldaña stars alongside Karla Sofía Gascón in "Emilia Pérez."
Netflix
The controversy around Gascón has come after critics of "Emilia Pérez," which won four Golden Globes and received 13 Oscar nominations, voiced their opinions about the film on social media, calling out its problematic portrayal of Mexico and transphobic stereotypes.
Gascón has been one of the film's main defenders.
On Tuesday, the Brazilian publication Folha de S.Paulo published a video interview in which Gascón criticized people who were tearing her down to support Fernanda Torres, one of her competitors for the best actress Oscar.
In response, some sought to have Gascón disqualified from the Oscars, accusing her of breaking an Academy rule prohibiting those involved with a film from sharing public communication that casts a competing movie in a "negative or derogatory light."
Variety reported on Wednesday that Gascón didn't break the rule because she didn't comment on Torres' performance in "I'm Still Here."
Kristen Bell knows how hard it can be to fit exercise into a busy schedule.
During our Zoom call, we realize we're both missing our regular workouts to do this interview — it's Monday evening in the UK for me and morning in LA for her. But we agree that we'll both do a few dumbbell curls while cooking later. An exercise snack, if you will.
"I don't want to get to it, but I will," Bell, 44, tells me.
It's a cliché that celebrities are "just like us!" but starring in huge projects like "Frozen" and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" or "The Good Place" and "Nobody Wants This" won't help you persuade your kids to eat their vegetables.
In the latest installment of Business Insider's "5 to 9" series, where celebrities share how they spend the hours they're not working, the Golden Globe-nominated actor gives a glimpse into her life with her husband, the actor Dax Shepard, and their two daughters, aged 10 and 11.
What time do you start your day?
Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard at the Golden Globe Awards in January 2025.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
The whole family wakes up at 7 a.m. I have been a longtime committed supporter of not waking up before 7 a.m. I remember when our babies were born and other parents said, "Ours wake up at 5.30 a.m." and I thought, "No, I'll find the receipt, I'm not interested in that."
I'm not a morning person, and unfortunately, full disclosure, I'm also not a night person.
I'm pretty much a non-functioning corpse before I've had any caffeine, so I must chug something caffeinated to be able to speak. My primary objective when I wake up is to get to coffee, matcha, or even Diet Coke as quickly as possible.
What do you have for breakfast?
It depends, but I love it when our family eats eggs, for the protein and fats. We're also big fans of oatmeal but I try to slip in some protein powder. The girls do eat cereal, which is not my favorite, but I'm not here to be too strict and cereal is very fun. Sometimes I make high-protein pancakes.
Your daughters are lucky.
Tell them, they hate it.
Are they picky eaters or just average kids?
Aren't those things the same?
They're picky, but we talk a lot about health, nutrition, and how food affects our bodies and minds. I don't tell them they can't have a doughnut, but I tell them to notice how they feel 30 minutes later.
I'm a big fan of tough love with my kids and sometimes I have to say: "We are not always eating for pleasure. Sometimes we're eating because we know that's what our body needs."
They absolutely love Plezi drinks which are lower in sugar than other drinks [Bell is an investor and brand partner of Plezi Nutrition]. Obviously, water is the number one thing we should be giving our kids.
But the reality for any parent is that they are going to ask for something sweet and you can either fight with them all night or you can give them a Plezi and it feels like a treat.
Exercise snacking and heavy lifting
How do you keep fit?
My husband started working out a lot during COVID-19, and because I'm so competitive, I follow whatever he's doing.
Kristen Bell as Joanne and Adam Brody as Noah on "Nobody Wants This."
Hopper Stone/Netflix
For a long time, I did workouts that were tailored to women like Pilates. I enjoy those things but I really hit my stride and probably have the best body I've ever had at 44 — not just in terms of shape but also strength, endurance, and capacity — when I started heavy lifting.
My husband has been biking a lot recently to build quad strength. For the last two weeks, he cycled up to the observatory, which is a huge hill, every day.
I didn't think I could handle that, so I started with the hill in our neighborhood, which is still formidable. For the last five days, I've been on my daughter's trail bike doing 15-minute uphill bike rides.
Uphill cycling is really tough.
It's so tough. I'm very active but I never commit to just one workout because I like to challenge myself. There will be six weeks where I hike every day and the minute it feels a little bit comfortable, I'll switch.
I don't have hours to keep fit. I desperately try to fit in, say, that 15-minute cycle, but if it'll mess up my day I'll get to it later.
I keep a set of 10 or 15-pound weights underneath furniture so when I'm cooking dinner, if I haven't worked out that day, I'll do a set of bicep curls or shoulder presses while something simmers on the stove. Sometimes my workouts are sliced into my day in one-and-a-half-minute segments.
That's a thing — it's called exercise snacking.
Oh yeah, that's it. I hear people talking about their 90-minute workouts. When am I going to get that time? Never. So I rely on exercise snacking.
I try to habit-stack, too. I let the dogs out to pee at 9 p.m. every night, and then I do 24 squats. I've done that every night for six months, and it's great because I don't have to make time.
Reading and chatting before bed
Who cooks dinner?
My husband cooks a couple of times a year, and he is very good, but he usually doesn't have time. Everybody eats differently in my household, and I'd love to evict them all. I hate it, but I'll deal with it. The girls are picky. My husband is gluten-free and incredibly high-protein, so his meals are different.
Kristen Bell in December 2024.
Jon Kopaloff/WireImage
I am not Martha Stewart. I pop things in the microwave and just try to make it work because, ultimately, as long as there are a couple of colors on the plate and at least one vegetable for the girls (usually frozen peas), that's my only commitment.
I was vegetarian for 30 years and vegan for a few, and then three years ago, I started eating meat again. It finally didn't feel weird to me. I felt like I needed and wanted it. Now I try to eat high-protein like my husband to support the lifting.
At family dinners, it's a mishmash but we eat together. The community of eating is far more important to me than the presentation.
What is bedtime like in your household?
We all go upstairs around 7:30 p.m. I usually sleep in the bedroom with my daughters as they don't like to sleep alone. My husband gets the master bedroom all to himself, which is lovely for him.
It's important to explain to kids why they have to do something. If they don't want to go to bed, we explain why sleep is important.
The four of us will lie in the kids' room and talk for about 45 minutes. My kids' brains are very open at night, they tell us all about their day. We usually read a book, and we're currently reading "Mandy" by Julie Andrews, which they really like. Sometimes my husband does voices with their stuffed animals.
I find it's a connective period and our way to plug back in, let them know everything is safe, the day is gone, it's just our family, and everyone can fall asleep peacefully. But it's long. It's 45 minutes to an hour, and then everyone falls asleep around 9 p.m.
Sometimes, I sneak out of the girls' room to watch a show with my husband in the master bedroom, then sneak back in.
We have three bedrooms, but our kids are very lucky and very privileged, so I was like, "Guess what? You're going to share a room, and you're going to have to deal with it, so figure it out."
Karla Sofía Gascón at the Golden Globes earlier this month.
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
The backlash against "Emilia Pérez" has turned to its star Karla Sofía Gascón after old tweets were resurfaced.
Fans highlighted negative tweets that appear to have been posted by Gascón as recently as 2021.
"Emilia Pérez," the Oscars frontrunner, has faced criticism for its portrayals of Mexico and trans people.
Karla Sofía Gascón, the star of "Emilia Pérez," is under fire for comments and past tweets following claims the most-nominated film this award season has problematic portrayals of Mexico and transgender people.
Critics and fans of "Emilia Pérez," which won 4 Golden Globes and received 13 Oscar nominations, have voiced their opinions about the film on social media. Some say it's boring, and others say it portrays transphobic stereotypes.
Gascón, who became the first out trans woman to be nominated for an Oscar for her role in "Emilia Pérez," has been one of the film's main defenders.
On Tuesday, the Brazilian publication Folha de S.Paulo published a video interview in which Gascón criticized people who were tearing her down to support Fernanda Torres, one of her competitors for the best-actress Oscar.
In response, some sought to have Gascón disqualified from the Oscars, accusing her of breaking an Academy rule prohibiting those involved with a film from sharing public communication that casts a competing movie in a "negative or derogatory light."
Zoe Saldaña stars alongside Karla Sofía Gascón in "Emilia Pérez."
Netflix
Variety reported on Wednesday that Gascón didn't break the rule because she didn't comment on Torres' performance in "I'm Still Here."
On Thursday, the Canadian journalist Sarah Hagi shared screenshots on X of posts that appeared to have been made by Gascón. Business Insider couldn't verify all the screenshots, and some posts seem to have been deleted.
The screenshots contained disparaging remarks about Muslims and Islam.
The posts were written in Spanish but translated through Google by Hagi. This sparked more social media users to search for and share screenshots of other posts that appear to be from Gascón.
Gascón wrote in other posts, seen by BI, that all religions should be banned. In a post from 2020, the actor referred to the COVID-19 vaccine as "the Chinese vaccine" and said it had a chip inside it.
Variety reported that in a post shared in 2021, Gascón referred to the Oscars ceremony that year as an "Afro-Korean festival" and "ugly, ugly gala." That year Daniel Kaluuya, a Black British actor, and Yuh-jung Youn, a South Korean actor, both won Oscars.
Gascón has now deleted her X account.
On Thursday, Gascón shared a statement with several outlets after the posts resurfaced: "I want to acknowledge the conversation around my past social media posts that have caused hurt. As someone in a marginalized community, I know this suffering all too well and I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain. All my life I have fought for a better world. I believe light will always triumph over darkness."
Some are still calling on the Academy to retract Gascón's Oscar nomination despite the apology.
Representatives for Netflix, Gascón, and the Academy didn't immediately respond to requests for comment from BI.
Scott Goodfriend started doing food tours in NYC as a side hustle.
Gabrielle Rouleau
Scott Goodfriend was laid off from his $215,000-a-year Meta job in February 2023.
He took his food tour side hustle full time and now makes $145,000 a year in revenue.
Goodfriend said he misses the cushy salary, but Big Tech can't match building your own business.
This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation withScott Goodfriend,39, who runs Ultimate Food Tours. Business Insider verified his previous employment and financial claims with documentation. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I didn't expect my career path to take me from working on virtual reality at Meta to leading tour groups around New York, but I'm enjoying taking the risk and betting on myself.
In 2011, I moved from Los Angeles to New York where I worked at We are Plus making corporate videos. In 2016, I started at Edelman, a major PR and marketing firm, and climbed the ranks to executive producer, pioneering their augmented and virtual reality initiatives.
Working at Meta was my dream job
I wanted to pivot my skills into tech, so I started applying for jobs in 2022. I landed a job at Meta in July 2022. Working as augmented reality producer with a $215,000 salary felt like the crowning achievement in my career.
I was handed the reins on Meta's "Real Time Avatar" feature, where I ran the project's operations. I integrated workflow, managed the 3D design, and helped the team meet deadlines. Despite being a remote employee bridging both coasts, I thrived in a fast-paced, elite environment.
The sense of purpose I felt working at Meta was remarkable. We were pushing the boundaries of what was possible in the digital realm, and every day brought new challenges.
But Silicon Valley's volatility showed its face in November 2022 with mass layoffs. I thought I was safe working in a cutting-edge space like AR, but my role was eliminated, and I was placed on an internal redeployment plan. In February 2023, I was laid off, just eight months into what I thought would be a long-term journey.
My culinary side hustle was a saving grace
Fortunately, I was still making an income via my side hustle, Ultimate Food Tours. Since I moved to New York, I'd created and researched various food tours and would take groups of friends to the hidden gems I'd found. In November 2019, on a whim, I posted my first food tour on Airbnb.
Between November 2019 and the beginning of COVID-19 in March 2020, I received around four bookings. At the time, I charged $60 per person per tour, which included food and non-alcoholic drinks but excluded tips.
These tours, limited to 10 people, are a journey through time and culture. I wanted it to feel like exploring a city with a knowledgeable friend.
All of my prior supervisors, both at Meta and Edelman, encouraged my side hustle. I made $30,000 in 2022 doing food tours while employed at Meta.
After getting laid off, I received another offer at a tech job. The idea of having a stable income was enticing. I struggled with my decision, but after speaking to my parents and mentors, I knew it was time for a change.
I always kept my money from my food tours separate from my corporate salary. When I was laid off, I had roughly $20,000 from my food tour business to fall back on. I didn't have to touch my severance money at the time.
Being single, with savings in the bank, I turned my layoff crisis into an opportunity. Years of running tours as a side gig meant I had the experience and financial runway to take this leap. I already had deep relationships with my vendors and knew how to build relationships with other food personnel to promote my business.
Giving up a cushy tech salary was difficult
Trading the security of Big Tech for the unpredictability of entrepreneurship wasn't an easy choice. I miss the cushy corporate perks and a steady pay check, but the thrill of building something meaningful feeds my soul in ways technology never could.
Losing my tech salary was a personal test. Spontaneous vacations and casual dinners out were replaced with budgeting and home-cooked meals. However, working in Big Tech taught me financial forecasting and operational management, which I now apply to my business.
I haven't matched my Meta salary yet, but the business made $145,000 in revenue this past year, and running costs are minimal. The tour guides I hire are all freelancers who get paid between $30 and $60 per hour per tour, excluding tips.
I don't draw a traditional salary and use the business funds to cover my essentials and the business's expansion. The freedom of building something makes up for the financial juggling act.
Being an entrepreneur is demanding, but worth it
My days are split between understanding accounting software, coordinating with global affiliates for our expansion into Japan, and crafting tours that show a deep knowledge of local communities.
I have a team of four freelance tour guides that I work with in New York, two in Vegas, and one in Tokyo. I ensure that each tour is tailored to the group. On average, I work 60 hours a week. I do tours on top of running the marketing and business operations and ensuring my finances are in order.
The corporate world, with its predictable rhythms and clear career ladders, still appeals to me. But unless an extraordinary opportunity presents itself, I'm committed to Ultimate Food Tours.
I've learned I'll feel afraid whether I'm launching a business or taking on increased responsibility in a corporate role. The key is recognizing that every career path has its uncertainties, and the bigger risks will have greater payoffs.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., John F. Kennedy's nephew, was nominated as HHS Secretary in Trump's Cabinet.
Kennedy has espoused baseless, controversial views related to vaccines and public health.
He ran for president in 2024 and is married to "Curb Your Enthusiasm" actor Cheryl Hines.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s ties to one of America's most prestigious political dynasties and controversial views on public health have made him a prominent political figure.
Though he unsuccessfully ran for president in 2024, he later endorsed now-President Donald Trump and landed a Cabinet nomination. Trump said he would let Kennedy "go wild" on public health issues as the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Kennedy's confirmation chances remain uncertain after a rocky hearing on Wednesday. He can only afford to lose three votes if all Senate Democrats and lawmakers that caucus with the party oppose his nomination.
Here's an overview of Kennedy's life, career, and controversies.
Early life and family
President John F. Kennedy with his nephew, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in the Oval Office.
CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images
Robert F. Kennedy, 71, was born on January 17, 1954 in Washington, DC.
He is the third of 11 children born to Robert F. Kennedy, a US senator who was assassinated in 1968, and Ethel Kennedy, a human rights advocate. He is the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy.
Kennedy graduated from Harvard University in 1976. After briefly attending the London School of Economics, he graduated from the University of Virginia Law School in 1982. He also earned a master's degree in environmental law from Pace University School of Law in 1987.
Legal and environmental career
A young Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Barbara Alper/Getty Images
In March 1982, Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, whom JFK had previously appointed to lead the famous Southern District of New York, hired Kennedy as an assistant district attorney. Kennedy struggled to pass the bar exam and resigned in July 1983.
Months later, Kennedy would spark his largest legal scandal. While on the way to receive treatment in South Dakota for his addiction, a fellow passenger found him sick in an airplane's bathroom. Local authorities later found a small amount of heroin in his belongings. He faced up to two years in prison but was sentenced to probation and community service.
As part of his community service, he worked for the Natural Resources Defense Council and was later connected with the Hudson River Fishermen's Association. Robert Boyle, founder of the New York environmental group, began to mentor Kennedy. The organization already had notched major legal victories, but Kennedy's star power would help take it to new heights.
Kennedy's environmental advocacy became the foundation of his fame. In 1999, Time Magazine named Kennedy one of its "Heroes for the Planet" as part of a series of reports on leading environmentalists.
In 2000, Boyle and other board members later resigned in protest over Kennedy's rehiring of a scientist who had previously been fired by Boyle and served time in federal prison after being convicted of violating wildlife protection laws.
"I think he's a despicable person," Boyle told Kennedy's unauthorized biographer in 2014.
While gaining fame, Kennedy began to notice problems with his voice. Kennedy was later diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia, a rare neurological condition that affects muscles in one's voice box.
Anti-vaccine views
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became the face of anti-vaccine advocacy.
Paul Morigi/WireImage/Getty Images
After years of environmentalism, Kennedy became the face of anti-vaccine advocacy.
In 2005, he wrote a piece for Salon and Rolling Stone that is now regarded as establishing him as a major player in spreading vaccine skepticism. Despite his claims of a major conspiracy over a mercury-based preservative that had already been "removed from all childhood vaccines except for some variations of the flu vaccine in 2001," according to STAT. Within days, Salon, which published the piece online, issued five corrections. In 2011, the site decided to retract the article entirely.
In 2022, he invoked the Holocaust at a rally opposing vaccine mandates, saying, "Even in Hitler's Germany you could cross the Alps into Switzerland, you could hide in an attic like Anne Frank did." He later apologized, saying, "My intention was to use examples of past barbarism to show the perils from new technologies of control."
At an event at a New York City restaurant in 2023, Kennedy said that COVID-19 was "targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people" and that "the people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese." He later released a statement on X saying, "I have never, ever suggested that the COVID-19 virus was targeted to spare Jews." He added: "I do not believe and never implied that the ethnic effect was deliberately engineered."
He has promoted other baseless conspiracy theories related to public health, including claims that WiFi causes cancer and that antidepressants marketed by pharmaceutical companies are to blame for mass shootings.
Controversies and criticism
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Prince Williams/WireImage
Kennedy has been involved in several controversies regarding dead animals.
Kennedy's daughter, Kick Kennedy, told Town & Country magazine in 2012 that her father had beheaded a dead whale and tied the head to the roof of their minivan when she was a child.
During a 2012 divorce deposition, Kennedy said that he experienced "cognitive problems" that a doctor told him could be "caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died," The New York Times reported. Kennedy told The New York Times in May 2024 that his memory issues had been resolved.
In August 2024, Kennedy revealed that he had left a bear carcass in Central Park in 2014 and speculated that it could have been the source of his brain worm.
Kennedy was also involved in an undisclosed relationship with a reporter. In September 2024, Status newsletter author Oliver Darcy broke the news that Kennedy was having an affair with New York magazine political reporter Olivia Nuzzi. Kennedy denied the report, but the relationship reportedly became an open secret in some circles as Kennedy bragged about receiving photos from Nuzzi.
Nuzzi was placed on leave and subsequently left the magazine.
2024 presidential campaign
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. with Donald Trump.
Tom Brenner for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
In April 2023, Kennedy announced that he would run against President Joe Biden in the Democratic primaries. In October 2023, he switched his political party affiliation to independent.
He named Nicole Shanahan, a California attorney who founded the patent technology company ClearAccessIP, as his running mate in March 2024.
Kennedy dropped out of the race in August 2024 and endorsed Trump, saying that he was "surprised to discover that we are aligned on many key issues." Trump then chose Kennedy to lead his transition team along with former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.
After Trump won the 2024 election, he nominated Kennedy to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services in his Cabinet.
Personal life
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cheryl Hines.
ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images
Kennedy has been married three times and has six children.
He was married to his first wife, fellow University of Virginia law student Emily Black, from 1982 to 1994. They had two children, Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy III and Kathleen, known as "Kick."
He married his second wife, interior designer Mary Richardson, in 1994. They had four children — Conor, Kyra, Finn, and Aidan — and divorced in 2010.
Kennedy has been married to "Curb Your Enthusiasm" actor Cheryl Hines, since 2014.
President Donald Trump nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 71, is John F. Kennedy's nephew.
He is a lawyer known for promoting anti-vaccine conspiracy theories.
Kennedy ran against Biden in the 2024 primaries, switched to an independent, and endorsed Trump.
A longtime anti-vaxxer, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. vowed to "Make America Healthy Again" if he is confirmed as President Donald Trump's Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Trump went on to add Kennedy, along with Tulsi Gabbard, to his transition team to help shape his administration. Upon winning the election, Trump nominated Kennedy to serve in his Cabinet.
Despite his views, Kennedy's lineage as a member of one of America's most prominent political families has helped boost his claims about vaccines, COVID-19, and other public health issues.
Here's a closer look at Kennedy's family history and controversial statements.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a member of one of America's most famous political dynasties.
John F. Kennedy with his nephew, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in the Oval Office.
CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images
Kennedy is the son of Robert F. Kennedy, a US senator who was assassinated in 1968, and Ethel Kennedy, a human-rights advocate who received a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2014. He is the third of the couple's 11 children, according to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
Kennedy is also former President John F. Kennedy's nephew.
As an environmental lawyer, his work focused on clean water.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the 25th anniversary of Earth Day.
Larry Busacca/Getty Images
Kennedy attended Harvard and studied at the London School of Economics. He received his law degree from the University of Virginia Law School and earned a master's in environmental law from Pace University School of Law.
He founded the environmental nonprofit Waterkeeper Alliance in 1999, according to the organization's official website. His primary achievement was forcing the closure of the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant.
A longtime anti-vaxxer, Kennedy has promoted conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a public hearing about vaccine-related bills.
Carl D. Walsh/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images
Kennedy has long espoused anti-vaccine views, suggesting a flu vaccine may have caused his voice disorder (he has spasmodic dysphonia, a rare neurological disorder).
In 2005, he wrote an article published in Salon claiming that the mercury-based thimerosal compound in vaccines causes autism. After issuing multiple corrections, Salon eventually retracted the piece. Kennedy later founded the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense, originally named the World Mercury Project, in 2011.
Kennedy rose to prominence during the pandemic for his opposition to COVID-19 vaccines.
At a press event held at a New York City restaurant in July 2023, Kennedy told the crowd that COVID-19 may have been "ethnically targeted" to attack certain groups of people.
"COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people," he said. "The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese."
"We don't know whether it was deliberately targeted or not, but there are papers out there that show the racial and ethnic differential and impact," he continued.
The Anti-Defamation League called Kennedy's remarks "deeply offensive," saying they fed into the "sinophobic and antisemitic conspiracy theories about COVID-19 that we have seen evolve over the last three years."
At Kennedy's Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, he said some of his earlier comments had not been accurately represented.
"I'm not anti-vaccine," Kennedy said during his opening statement.
He said he would not limit access to vaccines if he were to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
"I support the measles vaccine," he said. "I support the polio vaccine. I will do nothing, as HHS secretary, to make it difficult or discourage people from taking it."
When asked about his statements about COVID-19, Kennedy said he did not say it "deliberately targeted" some people, and that he had been referencing a published study in his remarks.
He has promoted a number of other public-health conspiracy theories, including that WiFi causes cancer.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a rally in Albany, New York.
AP Photo/Hans Pennink
In a June 2023 Twitter Spaces conversation hosted by Elon Musk, Kennedy likened Musk's purchase of Twitter, now known as X, to patriots who died fighting the American Revolution. He also attributed increased numbers of mass shootings to pharmaceutical companies for marketing antidepressants.
Later that month, in an appearance on "The Joe Rogan Experience," Kennedy claimed that "WiFi radiation does all kind of bad things, including causing cancer."
Kennedy also told CNN in July 2023 that environmental "endocrine disruptors" were causing "sexual confusion" and "gender confusion" in children, misconstruing studies that have shown these chemicals can cause some male frogs to become female and produce eggs.
A Kennedy campaign spokesperson told CNN that his remarks were "mischaracterized" and that he was "merely suggesting that, given copious research on the effects on other vertebrates, this possibility deserves further research."
He has been married three times and has six children.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Cheryl Hines.
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images
Kennedy married fellow University of Virginia Law School student Emily Black in 1982 and had two children, Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy III and Kathleen, known as "Kick." They divorced in 1994.
That same year, he married interior designer Mary Richardson. The couple had four children: Conor, Kyra, Finn, and Aidan. Kennedy filed for divorce in 2010.
Kennedy is now married to "Curb Your Enthusiasm" actor Cheryl Hines, whom he wed in 2014.
On Wednesday, Hines appeared at Kennedy's confirmation hearing for health secretary.
Kennedy initially announced his candidacy against former President Joe Biden in the Democratic primaries in a long shot campaign.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at his campaign launch event.
David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Kennedy announced his 2024 presidential campaign in April 2023 at Boston's Park Plaza Hotel.
"My mission over the next 18 months of this campaign and throughout my presidency will be to end the corrupt merger of state and corporate power that is threatening now to impose a new kind of corporate feudalism in our country," he said in his speech.
Kennedy acknowledged that some of his family members did not support his presidential bid but harbored "no ill will or any kind of disappointment" toward them.
One of Kennedy's sisters, Kerry Kennedy, released a statement condemning his "deplorable and untruthful remarks" after he claimed COVID-19 was "ethnically targeted" to certain races.
In a statement to Business Insider's Alia Shoaib, Kerry Kennedy also said she would not support his campaign.
"I love my brother Bobby, but I do not share or endorse his opinions on many issues, including the COVID pandemic, vaccinations, and the role of social media platforms in policing false information," she said.
Former Rep. Joe Kennedy III of Massachusetts also posted on X that his uncle's comments were "hurtful and wrong."
He later switched to running as an independent.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a campaign event in California.
Thos Robinson/Getty Images for The Democratic National Committee
In October 2023, Kennedy announced that he was no longer running for president as a democrat.
"I must declare my own independence," he said at a campaign event in Philadelphia. "Independence from the Democratic Party. And from all other political parties."
In March 2024, he named California attorney Nicole Shanahan as his vice presidential running mate.
She founded the patent technology company ClearAccessIP in 2013 and the Bia-Echo Foundation in 2019 to fund programs dedicated to criminal justice reform, reproductive research, and addressing the climate crisis.
Shanahan had previously donated to Democratic candidates such as Pete Buttigieg and Marianne Williamson but told Newsweek she planned to leave the Democratic party.
"I want somebody who will look out for young people and not treat them as if they're invisible," Kennedy told Newsweek of his decision to choose Shanahan as his running mate. "She's just 38 years old; she comes from technology and understands social media."
Kennedy dropped out of the presidential race in August 2024 and endorsed Trump.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. with Donald Trump.
Rebecca Noble/Getty Images
In August, Kennedy said he met with Trump and was "surprised to discover that we are aligned on many key issues."
"In those meetings, he suggested that we join forces as a unity party," Kennedy said.
Kennedy also said that he was making an effort to remove his name from ballots in 10 swing states.
"Our polling consistently showed that by staying on the ballot in the battleground states, I would likely hand the election over to the Democrats, with whom I disagree on the most existential issues," he said.
After winning the election, Trump nominated Kennedy as Secretary of Health and Human Services in his Cabinet.
Robert Kennedy Jr. at the Capitol.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
"I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS)," Trump wrote on Truth Social in November. "For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health."
Kennedy vowed to "make America healthy again" by proposing abolishing vaccine mandates, promoting alternative medicine, and lobbying against fluoride in drinking water.
The position of HHS Secretary requires Senate approval. Kennedy's cousin, Caroline Kennedy, urged lawmakers not to confirm him in a letter she sent to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and posted on X.
"Bobby is addicted to attention and power," Caroline Kennedy wrote of her cousin. "Bobby preys on the desperation of parents of sick children — vaccinating his own kids while building a following by hypocritically discouraging other parents from vaccinating theirs."
Kennedy once said a doctor speculated that a worm had eaten part of his brain.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
During a 2012 deposition during his divorce from Mary Richardson Kennedy, Kennedy said that he'd seen neurologists in an effort to diagnose memory issues, The New York Times reported in May 2024.
"I have cognitive problems, clearly," he said in the deposition. "I have short-term memory loss, and I have longer-term memory loss that affects me."
Kennedy said that one doctor suggested that he had a worm in his brain based on a dark spot in a scan that could have been "caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died."
Kennedy told the Times the memory issues he experienced have since been resolved.
"He said he had recovered from the memory loss and fogginess and had no aftereffects from the parasite, which he said had not required treatment," The Times reported.
The health issues were in contrast to how he had portrayed himself in his presidential run, depicting himself as healthier, mentally and physically, than his then-rivals Trump and Biden.
Kennedy has been involved in controversies involving dead animals.
The Central Park bear's autopsy diagram.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
In July, Kennedy denied a Vanity Fair report that he had once eaten a barbecued dog in Korea. The story included a photo of Kennedy holding a charred animal carcass. A veterinarian told the publication that it looked like the animal was a dog based on the number of ribs.
In a post on X, Kennedy said the image showed a goat in Patagonia, not a dog in Seoul.
In August, Kennedy revealed that he was behind the bear carcass that was found in Central Park in 2014. In a video on X, Kennedy said he'd planned to skin the animal after finding it dead on the side of the road but had to catch a flight, so he disposed of it in Central Park.
Kennedy explained he wanted to share the bear story ahead of a forthcoming New Yorker profile mentioning the incident. In the profile, Kennedy said he may have gotten his brain worm from the dead bear.
Also in August, a 2012 Town & Country interview with his daughter Kick resurfaced in which she said her father had decapitated a dead whale they'd found on a beach near the Kennedy home in Hyannis Port when she was 6. Kick said he strapped the whale head to the roof of their minivan before their drive back to New York, prompting "whale juice" to "pour into the windows of the car."
In response to reporters' questions about the incident, Kennedy said, "I'm not interested in feeding that feature of the mainstream media."
Kick Kennedy did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
In September, journalist Oliver Darcy reported that Kennedy had been in a relationship with New York magazine political reporter Olivia Nuzzi.
Olivia Nuzzi and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Paul Morigi/Getty Images; John Parra/Getty Images for Latino Wall Street
"Earlier this year, the nature of some communication between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal," Nuzzi said in a statement to Darcy. "During that time, I did not directly report on the subject nor use them as a source. The relationship was never physical but should have been disclosed to prevent the appearance of a conflict. I deeply regret not doing so immediately and apologize to those I've disappointed, especially my colleagues at New York."
Nuzzi was placed on leave from New York magazine, and editor in chief David Haskell hired a law firm to investigate the matter and conduct a review of her reporting.
A representative for Kennedy denied the relationship, telling The New York Times, "Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece." However, The Daily Beast reported that Kennedy had bragged about the relationship, making it something of an open secret in some circles.
In October, Nuzzi accused her ex-fiancé, Politico reporter Ryan Lizza, of blackmail. In a court filing, Nuzzi said that Lizza "threatened to make public personal information about me to destroy my life, career, and reputation — a threat he has since carried out."
Lizza denied the claims.
"I am saddened that my ex-fiancée would resort to making a series of false accusations against me as a way to divert attention from her own personal and professional failings," he said in a statement. "I emphatically deny these allegations and I will defend myself against them vigorously and successfully."
In a statement shared with Business Insider, Lizza said: "Olivia shamelessly used litigation with false and defamatory allegations as a public relations strategy."
"When required to do so, she refused to defend her claims in court last month. She then sought to hide my response to her claims from the public by seeking to seal the proceedings that she began," he wrote. "Now, on the eve of a hearing at which she knew her lies would be exposed, she has taken the only course available to her and withdrawn her fabricated claims."
"Olivia lied to me for almost a year. She lied to her editors. She lied to her readers. She lied to her colleagues. She lied to reporters. And she lied to the judge in this case," Lizza said. "I said I would defend myself against her lies vigorously and successfully and I am fully prepared to do so. But for now, I'm pleased this matter is closed."
Nuzzi's attorney, Ari Wilkenfeld, previously told BI: "Ms. Nuzzi has no interest in fighting a public relations battle. For insight into her decision, you can refer to the statements in her motion."
There have been over 60 seasons of "Bachelor"-related TV.
That means there have also been dozens of "Bachelor" relationships, both failed and successful.
The latest season of "The Bachelor" premiered on Monday.
"The Bachelor" and its related spinoffs are about one thing: finding love.
Yet, while there have been almost 60 seasons of Bachelor Nation content, there are only 30 couples from the franchise still together.
Last year, Jenn Tran became the first Asian American Bachelorette in the franchise's history. Unfortunately, her season concluded in September without a happy ending.
That means they won't be joining this list of couples from the franchise who are still together — though, if Grant Ellis, our latest "Bachelor," has better luck with his season, he'll be joining this small club soon.
Joey Graziadei and Kelsey Anderson
Graziadei and Anderson.
John Fleenor/Disney/ABC
Joey Graziadei proposed to Kelsey Anderson during the March 2024 finale of "The Bachelor."
Graziadei has become a fan-favorite lead in this long and storied franchise since he came in second on Charity Lawson's season of "The Bachelorette" in 2023.
In fact, his Fantasy Suites episode was the most-watched episode of the show since the 2022 finale of Clayton Echard's season, according to Variety.
So, many people were delighted to see him propose to Anderson on a beach in Tulum and to watch her say yes.
They confirmed during "After the Final Rose" that they are still engaged, and have since moved to Los Angeles after Graziadei won "Dancing with the Stars."
Dotun Olubeko and Charity Lawson
Lawson and Olubeko in November 2023.
Emma McIntyre/Variety/Getty Images
Dotun Olubeko got down on one knee and proposed to Charity Lawson, as fans saw on the "Bachelorette" finale in August 2023.
Lawson, who appeared on Zach Shallcross' season of "The Bachelor" earlier in the year, proved herself to be a steadying presence on a show usually filled with drama.
"The Bachelorette" viewers saw Olubeko and Lawson develop a strong relationship, grow as a couple, and eventually get engaged in Fiji.
"We're not really trying to have a super incredibly 17-year length engagement," Lawson told People following the finale. "We obviously came here to find love, and we have successfully done that."
Tessa Tookes and Joey Kirchner
Tookes and Kirchner in 2022.
CityTv
Tessa Tookes, who appeared on Clayton Echard's season of "The Bachelor," found love on "Bachelor in Paradise Canada" in 2022. She married Joey Kirchner in September 2024.
Tookes, who was eliminated during week two of Echard's season in 2022, provided viewers with a franchise first during the season two finale of "Bachelor in Paradise Canada": She became the first woman to propose to a man on the show when she asked Kirchner (first seen on season one of "Bachelor in Paradise Canada" in 2021) to marry her.
Speaking to Yahoo Canada about her decision, Tookes said, "I know my love for Joey. Even if he declined, I'd still feel really good about making that call. And women can propose." She added, "It felt really good to do something that's never been done before."
According to an Instagram post by Tookes, the two wed in September 2024 in Ontario.
Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar
Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar in January 2024.
James Clark/Disney/Getty Images
Fans watched as Zach Shallcross successfully proposed to Kaity Biggar in March 2023.
After a very dramatic final week as the lead, Shallcross — who originally appeared on Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey's season of "The Bachelorette" in 2022 — got down on one knee in Thailand and proposed to Biggar during the finale, which aired in March 2023.
That month, Shallcross told People, "Right now, the main emphasis is living together in Austin, getting to know each other more and more, and just see how things go. There's no rush."
In July 2023, Biggar posted on Instagram that the two are "officially roommates" in Austin together, and are still together in 2025 — though they've paused on wedding planning to focus on saving up for a house, according to an appearance on "Almost Famous."
Serena Pitt and Joe Amabile
Pitt and Amabile in December 2021.
Rich Polk/E! Entertainment/NBCUniversal/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Serena Pitt and Joe Amabile got married (again) in Charleston in September 2023 after meeting on the seventh season of "Bachelor in Paradise."
Throughout the entire seventh season of "Paradise," there wasn't a stronger couple than "Grocery Store Joe" Amabile (originally from Becca Kufrin's season in 2018) and Pitt (from Matt James' season in 2021). Even though Amabile's "Paradise" ex, Kendall Long, showed up at the proposal, nothing could shake their relationship.
They left the beach engaged in fall 2021, and just over a year later, they got married at a New York City courthouse with "Paradise" castmate Natasha Parker as a witness. The couple posted footage from their courthouse ceremony to Instagram in October 2022 and wrote in the caption that they still planned to have a wedding the following September.
Shortly after getting married, they told People: "We still plan on having a big wedding next fall that we are already planning, but with everything being so public in our relationship, having a private moment just the two of us felt so special and intimate."
In September 2023, they got married again, this time in front of their friends and family — with "Paradise" bartender Wells Adams officiating.
Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin
Braasch and Pepin in January 2024.
James Clark/Disney/Getty Images
Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin wed in November 2023, after having a rocky time in "Paradise."
After starting off strong, Pepin, who was on Matt James' season in 2021, decided that she wanted to be able to date other people. Braasch, from Clare Crawley and Tayshia Adams' season in 2020, then started pursuing castmates Demi Burnett and Tia Booth.
However, Pepin soon decided she wanted Braasch back, and they got back together. He even proposed at the end of the season.
As People reported, the two got married in Puerto Rico in November 2023.
Becca Kufrin and Thomas Jacobs
Kufrin and Jacobs in June 2022.
Dara-Michelle Farr via Getty Images
Becca Kufrin and Thomas Jacobs broke up, but they later rekindled their romance off-screen. Now, they're married, and Kufrin gave birth to their first child in September 2023.
After getting dumped on TV by Arie Luyendyk in 2018, Kufrin went on to star in her own season of "The Bachelorette" that year. She confirmed on an episode of her podcast, "Bachelor Happy Hour," that her relationship with the winner, Garrett Yrigoyen, ended in 2020.
Then, when Kufrin appeared on "Paradise" in 2021, she was hesitant to date Jacobs, who had appeared on Katie Thurston's season earlier in the year and was portrayed as one of the season's villains. However, the two built a solid relationship during the show, until Kufrin called things off during the "Paradise" finale.
The two reconnected off-screen and began dating. In May 2022, they revealed on Instagram that they'd gotten engaged and, as Kufrin wrote in the caption, "in the ultimate plot twist," she proposed to Jacobs.
In October 2022, Jacobs returned the favor and proposed to Kufrin. "We are so excited! It's time we can finally start wedding planning," Kufrin told People at the time.
Kufrin announced her pregnancy in April 2023. In September 2023, the two confirmed the birth of their son, Benson, on Instagram. The next month, they tied the knot.
Noah Erb and Abigail Heringer
Abigail Heringer and Noah Erb in December 2022.
Paul Archuleta/Getty Images
Noah Erb and Abigail Heringer got married in October 2024.
Heringer, from Matt James' season in 2021, and Erb, from Tayshia Adams' season in 2020, went on the first date of their season of "Paradise" and they were together for the entire season, with a few hiccups along the way.
In the penultimate episode of the season, Erb decided that he was simultaneously falling in love with Heringer and didn't think she was "his person." They left Mexico separately.
But like Kufrin and Jacobs, the two reconnected post-"Paradise," which they confirmed during the reunion in October 2021.
The two announced on Instagram in August 2023 that they were engaged, accompanied by a caption that referenced Taylor Swift's song "Lover." They wed 14 months later in Oklahoma.
Chris Conran and Alana Milne
Conran and Milne in December 2021.
Paul Archuleta/Getty Images
Chris Conran and Alana Milne got kicked off "Paradise" together in 2021. They got engaged in March 2024.
Conran, who was eliminated on night one of Clare Crawley's season in 2020, was originally dating Jessenia Cruz of Matt James' season in 2021, but that changed when Alana Milne, also from James' season, entered the beach.
The two quickly decided to pursue a relationship, leaving Cruz in the dust. In turn, everyone on the beach ganged up on them and claimed that they'd been dating pre-"Paradise," a claim they both denied.
After the cast essentially told them that none of them would speak to the couple if they stayed, they left separately.
But then Conran and Milne were spotted hanging out together, and Milne confirmed the relationship on her Instagram story, posting a photo of the two kissing captioned, "Paradise is wherever I'm with you." Conran reposted and wrote: "3 months of no cameras or producers."
In March 2024, the duo posted on Instagram confirming their engagement.
Dylan Barbour and Hannah Godwin
Barbour and Godwin in June 2022.
Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images
After a rocky start, Dylan Barbour and Hannah Godwin made it through season six of "BIP." They got married at a French estate in August 2023.
Barbour (from Hannah Brown's season of "The Bachelorette" in 2019) made it clear that he was only there for Godwin — who was left blindsided on Colton Underwood's season of "The Bachelor," also in 2019 — during the first episode of season six of "Paradise" in 2019. However, she needed a little more time to explore things with Blake Horstmann, a runner-up on Becca Kufrin's season of "The Bachelorette."
Horstmann had even flown down to Alabama to visit her before the two began filming for "Bachelor in Paradise," a fact that was withheld from the rest of the cast (and the viewing public) until the fourth episode.
But Godwin chose to stick with Barbour, and the two got engaged on the finale, which aired in September 2019. They married in August 2023.
Dean and Caelynn Bell
Dean and Caelynn in December 2022.
Steve Granitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images
After meeting on "Bachelor in Paradise" in 2019, Dean Bell (née) Unglert and Caelynn Bell (née) Miller-Keyes wed in September 2023.
When Unglert, who was on Rachel Lindsay's season of "The Bachelorette" in 2017, left "Paradise" early, Miller-Keyes was devastated. But he returned to say he had made a mistake and asked Miller-Keyes to leave Mexico with him to figure out their relationship.
This wasn't a complete surprise, as E! News reported in July 2019 that the two were dating, but fans finally got to see how their relationship unfolded during an episode of "Bachelor in Paradise" that aired in September 2019.
Miller-Keyes, who made it to hometown dates on Colton Underwood's season in 2018, left behind her rebound guy, Connor Saeli, from Hannah Brown's season of "The Bachelorette" in 2019 to join Unglert in his much-discussed van.
In October 2022, a source told People that Unglert and Miller-Keyes were engaged. That month, Unglert also spoke about the proposal during an episode of his podcast with fellow "Bachelor" alum Jared Haibon. A few days later, Unglert confirmed the news on his Instagram.
They married in September 2023 at a Colorado mountain resort outside Aspen and changed their last names to Bell, Unglert's mother's maiden name.
Kevin Wendt and Astrid Loch
Loch and Wendt in August 2018.
Paul Hebert via Getty Images
Kevin Wendt and Astrid Loch started dating during "Bachelor in Paradise" in 2018. They're now married with two kids.
Known affectionately by their fellow "Paradise" contestants as "Mom and Dad," the cast was shocked when the most solid couple of the season broke up on the last day of "Paradise" during season five in September 2018.
Wendt, straight off a stint on "Bachelor Winter Games" in 2018, copped to still being affected by his split from ex-girlfriend Ashley Iaconetti (who appears elsewhere on this list). Loch, from Nick Viall's season of "The Bachelor" in 2017, was blindsided.
The two were brought together again during the reunion episode. They got engaged in August 2019 and welcomed their son August in November 2021, People reported. They married in October 2022.
In February 2023, Loch shared that they were expecting their second child, and their son, Nash, was born in October.
Arie Luyendyk and Lauren Burnham
Burnham and Luyendyk in July 2018.
Presley Ann/Getty Images
Arie Luyendyk and Lauren Burnham got engaged on the "After the Final Rose" special after Luyendyk shocked the world by dumping Becca Kufrin on TV. They're now married with three kids.
Luyendyk first appeared on the eighth season of "The Bachelorette" in 2012, competing for the love of Emily Maynard. He eventually became the runner-up.
In 2017, ABC made the surprising move to bring him back for the 22nd season of "The Bachelor," where viewers watched him propose to Kufrin.
Soon after the proposal, however, Luyendyk decided he had made a mistake and contacted Burnham, the runner-up from his season, before breaking up with Kufrin while the cameras were rolling, making for a controversial moment in Bachelor Nation's history.
Luyendyk and Burnham began their relationship anew, and he proposed to her on the live "After the Final Rose" special, which aired after the finale in March 2018.
They had a destination wedding in Hawaii in January 2019, People reported, and their daughter, Alessi, was born in May of that year.
They later welcomed twins Lux and Senna in June 2021.
Raven Gates and Adam Gottschalk
Gates and Gottschalk in September 2019.
Raymond Hall/Getty Images
Raven Gates and Adam Gottschalk found love on season four of "Bachelor in Paradise." They got married in April 2021 and now have two kids together.
Gates quickly became a fan favorite while she was a contestant on Nick Viall's season of "The Bachelor" in 2017. After finishing in second place, she made her way to Mexico for "Bachelor in Paradise" that August where she met Gottschalk, who had been a contestant on Rachel Lindsay's season of "The Bachelorette" earlier that year.
In June 2019, they shared matching Instagram posts announcing their engagement. Gates revealed on social media that they postponed their May 2020 wedding due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but they finally married in April 2021, as she shared on Instagram.
Their son Gates was born in January 2022, and their son Max was born in July 2023.
Jordan Rodgers and JoJo Fletcher
Rodgers and Fletcher in 2020.
John Fleenor/ABC/Getty Images
Jordan Rodgers proposed to JoJo Fletcher during season 12 of "The Bachelorette." They got married in May 2022.
After Fletcher, first seen on Ben Higgins' season in 2016, sent Robby Hayes home, she accepted a proposal from Rodgers on the "The Bachelorette," which aired later that year.
Years later, Fletcher and Rodgers are still together. In fact, in August 2019, Rodgers "re-proposed" to Fletcher, complete with a new ring, as Fletcher shared on Instagram. In May 2022, after six years together and two postponed wedding dates, Fletcher and Rodgers married at a California winery.
The couple also had a reality series on CNBC, "Cash Pad," where they partnered with "homeowners hoping to turn their properties into ideal short-term rentals," according to the network.
They also hosted the competition show "Battle of the Fittest Couples" from October to December 2019 on the Paramount Network, and another competition show, "The Big D," on USA from June to August 2023.
Jared Haibon and Ashley Iaconetti
Jared Haibon, Ashley Iaconetti, and their son Dawson in January 2023.
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Jared Haibon and Ashley Iaconetti's love story began in 2015. They married in August 2019, and now have two kids.
In 2015, Haibon and Iaconetti competed on Kaitlyn Bristowe and Chris Soules' seasons of "The Bachelorette" and "The Bachelor" respectively, and met during the second season of "Bachelor in Paradise" in 2015. At the time, Iaconetti was smitten, but Haibon wasn't as interested.
According to a 45-minute video the couple released on Iaconetti's YouTube channel about how they fell in love, Haibon realized he had to make his move when Iaconetti returned from "Bachelor Winter Games" in 2018 with a boyfriend (Kevin Wendt).
Their relationship was made Instagram-official in May 2018, and Haibon proposed just a few weeks later, as E! News reported. The couple married in Rhode Island in August 2019, with a number of Bachelor Nation members in attendance at their wedding, as People reported at the time.
In March 2021, they announced their move to Rhode Island on Instagram and opened Audrey's Coffeehouse and Lounge in South Kingstown.
Their son, Dawson, was born in January 2022.
In January 2024, Iaconetti and Haibon announced that she was pregnant with their second baby. Their son Hayden was born in July.
Jade Roper and Tanner Tolbert
Tolbert and Roper in November 2019.
Paul Archuleta/Getty Images
Jade Roper and Tanner Tolbert met on "Bachelor in Paradise" in 2015 and got married eight months later. They welcomed their third child in November 2020.
Tolbert was originally on Kaitlyn Bristowe's season, while Roper was on Chris Soules' season of "The Bachelor," both in 2015.
But now, "Janner," as they're known, are the gold standard for "Bachelor in Paradise" couples. They were the first in the spinoff's history to get engaged and actually get married — there had been a few false starts with other couples — and they have been making it work ever since their finale aired in September 2015.
They had their issues — which were shown on their season of "Marriage Boot Camp" in 2016 — but they worked through them.
Their first daughter, Emerson, was born in August 2017. Their son, Brooks, was born in July 2019, after Roper gave birth in her closet, which she shared on Instagram. And in November 2020, they welcomed their third child, Reed.
In August 2023, Roper shared on Instagram that she was experiencing "a missed miscarriage," and said her unborn son's heart had stopped though her body hadn't "released the pregnancy yet."
"I've been carrying him with so much pride and cherish every moment still left with part of him, but it has also been equally as challenging and devastating," she wrote.
Sean Lowe and Catherine Giudici
Giudici and Lowe in December 2018.
Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Sleep Number
Sean Lowe and Catherine Giudici remain the sole winning "Bachelor" couple to get married. Giudici gave birth to their third child in December 2019.
Lowe is the only "Bachelor" lead (season 17, 2013) who has stayed with the winner of his season — both Jason Mesnick and Arie Luyendyk returned to the runners-up of their seasons. Lowe had previously appeared on Emily Maynard's season of "The Bachelorette" in 2012.
As People reported, Lowe and Giudici had their first son, Samuel, in July 2016, two years after their televised wedding in 2014. Their second son, Isaiah, was born in June 2018.
Their third child, a daughter they named Mia, was born in December 2019.
Chris Siegfried and Desiree Hartsock
Hartsock and Siegfried in August 2018.
Earl Gibson III/Getty Images for WE tv
Chris Siegfried proposed to Desiree Hartsock on season nine of "The Bachelorette." They got married in 2015 and had their first child in 2016, their second in January 2019, and their third in November 2024.
Hartsock originally appeared on Sean Lowe's season of "The Bachelor" in 2013, but she was sent home. Her season of "The Bachelorette" was especially controversial — she was broken up with by Brooks Forester during the second-to-last week of the show, who many considered to be the frontrunner. Some fans believed Hartsock was settling when she accepted Siegfried's proposal back in August 2013.
Despite the controversy, Siegfried and Hartsock got married in January 2015. Their son, Asher, was born a year later. In July 2018, the couple told Us Weekly that they were expecting their second child, Zander. He was born in January 2019.
Also, in 2018, the couple appeared on "Marriage Boot Camp," a show where couples confront the marital issues they're facing. They decided to stay together and work on their relationship.
In May 2024, Siegfried announced she was pregnant with their third child. Their son, Noah, was born that November.
Joan Vassos and Chock Chapple
Vassos and Chapple in December 2024.
Jesse Grant/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
Our very first "Golden Bachelorette" Joan Vassos got engaged to Chock Chapple during the season finale that aired in November 2024.
Vassos had appeared on "The Golden Bachelor" to compete for Gerry Turner's heart, but she had to exit in week three due to a family emergency. In May 2024, she was named the star of the first season of "The Golden Bachelorette."
Chapple was a frontrunner throughout the season, so it wasn't a big surprise when he got down on one knee and proposed.
According to social media, the two are still together and planning to move to New York City.
Holly Durst and Blake Julian
Julian and Durst in 2011.
Rick Rowell/Disney General Entertainment Content/Getty Images Studios; Greg Zabilski/Disney General Entertainment Content/Getty Images
Holly Durst and Blake Julian have the distinction of being the only successful couple from the short-lived spinoff series "Bachelor Pad." They have two kids.
Durst and Julian met during the second season of "Bachelor Pad" in 2011. Julian was fresh off Ashley Hebert's season of "The Bachelorette," and Durst had last been seen on Matt Grant's season in 2008. Julian's proposal was announced during the season finale.
The two got married in June 2012.
In July 2019, Durst posted an Instagram video detailing their 7-year struggle with infertility, IVF, miscarriages, and surrogacy.
In September 2019, Julian and Durst revealed on Instagram that they had adopted a baby, Poppy.
Then, in January 2023, they announced the adoption of their son, Knox.
Jason Mesnick and Molly Malaney
Mesnick and Malaney in January 2024.
James Clark/Disney/Getty Images
Jason Mesnick proposed to Melissa Rycroft on the finale of his season of "The Bachelor," but revealed on "After the Final Rose" that he was still in love with runner-up Molly Malaney. They celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary in 2024.
Mesnick was originally on DeAnna Pappas' season in 2008. He proposed to Rycroft, dumped her on "After the Final Rose," and immediately asked Malaney if they could resume their relationship in March 2009, which they discussed during an interview with People that month.
Malaney and Mesnick were engaged later that year in October 2009, Mesnick confirmed to Us Weekly, and were married just a few months later.
Now, they're one of the few "Bachelor" success stories, even if their love story didn't start off in the most conventional way. They had their daughter Riley in 2013.
Things worked out for Rycroft, too. After the breakup, she reunited with her ex, Tye Strickland. They got married in 2009, and have three kids.
Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter
Sutter and Rehn in January 2024.
James Clark/Disney/Getty Images
Trista Rehn was the very first "Bachelorette" and set a high bar for the franchise — she's been with the winner of her season, Ryan Sutter, since 2003.
Just uttering the words "Trista and Ryan" around a "Bachelor" fan will send them on a trip down memory lane. The year was 2003, and Trista was the very first "Bachelorette," after getting sent home as the runner-up of the first season of "The Bachelor."
Rehn chose Sutter in the finale, and he proposed. Their wedding was televised (the first of the franchise) and shown as a miniseries called "Trista and Ryan's Wedding" in December 2003.
Rehn also appeared on the first season of "Dancing with the Stars" in 2005, and the couple appeared on "Marriage Boot Camp" in 2014. They're still married, live in Colorado, and have two kids, Max and Blakesley.
Brayden Bowers and Christina Mandrell
Bowers and Mandrell in January 2024.
Eric McCandless/Disney/Getty Images
Brayden Bowers proposed to Christina Mandrell in January 2024 on live TV. They eloped in Nashville in December.
Bowers, of Lawson's season, might have been eliminated from "Bachelor in Paradise" after failing to secure a rose, but he was still able to find love within the franchise.
During the finale of season nine of "Paradise," which aired in December 2023, it was revealed that Bowers has been dating Mandrell, from Shallcross' season, for the last few months.
"Beyond the cameras and reality show drama, Brayden (aka MY BOYFRIEND!) and I found something truly special," Mandrell wrote on Instagram.
On the red carpet of Turner and Nist's televised wedding in January, Bowers got down on one knee and proposed to Mandrell, who accepted, as seen on Instagram. They surprised fans later that year by eloping, per People.
Anna Redman and Chris Bukowski
Bukowski in 2019 and Redman in 2021.
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Anna Redman and Chris Bukowski announced their relationship on Instagram in March 2022.
Redman and Bukowski, both Chicago residents, made their relationship Instagram-official in March 2022, with Redman captioning a series of photos "hard launch." They moved in together a few months later.
While these two never interacted on-screen, they're both "Bachelor" alums. Bukowski has famously appeared on multiple seasons, including Emily Maynard's season of "The Bachelorette," season three of "Bachelor Pad," and three seasons of "Bachelor in Paradise." He unsuccessfully attempted to join Andi Dorfman's season of "The Bachelorette" as well.
Bachelor Nation reported that Bukowski got engaged to Katie Morton on his last appearance on "Paradise" in 2019, but they broke up a few months later, according to a since-deleted Instagram post.
You might remember Redman from her controversial appearance on Matt James' season of "The Bachelor" in 2021 when she spread rumors that a fellow contestant was "entertaining men for money." She later briefly appeared on "Bachelor in Paradise" later that year.
According to an episode of Joe Amabile's podcast "Clickbait," Amabile and his wife, Serena Pitt, introduced the two.
Jordan Chapman and Corrinne Jones
Chapman and Jones in November 2021.
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Jordan Chapman and Corrinne Jones never appeared on-screen together, but they found love in Bachelor Nation.
Chapman and Jones, from Clayshia's season in 2020 and Matt James' season in 2021, respectively, made their Instagram debut in September 2021.
They got engaged in September 2024.
It's unclear how exactly they met since they never overlapped on our TV screens, but Bachelor Nation is well-connected.
Mike Renner and Olivia Miller
Renner in 2018 and Miller in 2022.
Mike Renner and Olivia Miller are Bachelor Nation's self-proclaimed "most irrelevant" couple. They got engaged in July 2024.
If you remember either of these former "Bachelor" contestants, you're a true super-fan. Renner, a sports analyst, was eliminated during week three of Becca Kufrin's season of "The Bachelorette" in 2018. Miller, a stylist, is a more recent contestant, appearing on Zach Shallcross' season of "The Bachelor" in 2023, but she was sent home during night one.
They hard-launched their relationship in June 2023, according to Bachelor Nation, by calling themselves "Bachelor Nation's most irrelevant couple." Just over a year later, in July 2024, Renner proposed to Miller.
Peyton Wright and Chris Lambton
Wright and Lambton in May 2012.
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Peyton Wright and Chris Lambton also never interacted on-screen, but they met through friends from Bachelor Nation.
Wright and Lambton were never part of the same show — Wright appeared on the 10th season of "The Bachelor" competing for Andy Baldwin's heart in 2007 but was left behind on a two-on-one date. She later appeared on the first season of "Bachelor Pad."
Lambton, on the other hand, made it all the way to the final two in Ali Fedotowsky's season of "The Bachelorette" in 2010, and even turned down the opportunity to be the next "Bachelor," he told Boston.com.
The two didn't find love on TV, but hit it off when they were introduced to each other by friends from the Bachelor Nation at a golf tournament in 2010, People reported in 2013.
They got married in May 2012 and have been together since.
"I'm so glad Andy Baldwin left me standing there on that aircraft carrier," Wright told People ahead of the couple's first anniversary in 2013. "I'm glad it didn't go any further because it wouldn't have worked out."
They have two children: a daughter, Lyla, who was born in November 2016, and a son, Hayes, who was born in December 2018.
The couple hosted the HGTV show "Going Yard," which ran for two seasons. They also collaborated with HSN on a furniture line called Chris and Peyton by Design.
Jesse Csincsak and Ann Lueders
Csincsak and Lueders in August 2010.
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Jesse Csincsak won the season of "The Bachelorette" he appeared on in 2008 and proposed to DeAnna Pappas, but the two broke up after a few months. His future wife, Ann Lueders, was eliminated on night one of Jason Mesnick's season in 2009.
The couple met on a "Bachelor" reunion cruise that Csincsak organized.
He told Hollywood 411 in 2017 that he "realized that there were a lot of women who had gone on the show who were also single and could understand what I was going through." Csincsak added that he began inviting past contestants to the reunions he hosted.
"Ann just happened to come on the first cruise I hosted to Mexico and the rest is history," he said.
Csincsak and Lueders married in 2010 while Lueders was pregnant with their first child, Noah.
According to Us Weekly, their daughter Charlotte was born three years later, and their third child, Brian, was born in December 2016.
Tara Durr and John Presser
Presser and Durr in January 2011.
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Tara Durr and John Presser were both sent home on night one of their respective seasons, and they met on a private "Bachelor" alumni Facebook group.
Durr was eliminated after night one of Lorenzo Borghese's season of "The Bachelor" in 2006, and Presser was eliminated after night one of Jillian Harris' season of "The Bachelorette" in 2009.
According to People, they met through a private "Bachelor" alumni Facebook group in July 2009 and were engaged by February 2010. They were married later that year, in November, the St. Augustine Record reported at the time.