The Golden Bachelorette Was Almost Soap Actress Susan Lucci

Summary Beloved soap opera star Susan Lucci reveals that she turned down The Golden Bachelorette.

Susan is a Bachelor franchise fan, and calls it her "guilty pleasure."

While it would've been intriguing to see Susan in the lead role of The Golden Bachelorette, Joan Vassos was the perfect choice for the reality dating series.

The Golden Bachelorette has cast its first-ever lead, Joan Vassos, and now beloved soap opera star Susan Lucci reveals that she was offered the coveted role, but she turned it down. Susan is best known for playing Erica Kane on All My Children for 41 years. The Emmy-winning actress lost her husband Helmut Huber in 2022 after 52 years together. Together they had two children, actress Liza Huber and Andreas Huber. Susan is also a grandmother to six grandchildren. Before Joan was announced as the star of The Golden Bachelorette season 1, there was much speculation that Susan might be the one handing out roses on the reality dating series for seniors.

"It wasn't for me, but I do love watching. I'm a fan."

In an interview with People, Susan revealed that she was offered the lead role of The Golden Bachelorette. She said, "I believe that they contacted my publicist and it wasn't for me." Susan added, "I didn't pursue [it] when they called my publicist to see if I would be interested." She explained, "It wasn't for me, but I do love watching. I'm a fan. I love watching." Although ABC and Warner Bros. don't comment on casting, People claims that a source said that Susan was not offered the role. However, perhaps this is because she'd already expressed that she wasn't interested.

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Susan Lucci Calls The Bachelor Shows Her "New Guilty Pleasure"

Susan Calls The Bachelor "A New Addiction"

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Susan also shared that she's a Golden Bachelor fan. She shared, "I watched The Golden Bachelor. I really enjoyed watching The Golden Bachelor. This is a new addiction for me." Although Susan's mother loved the Bachelor franchise for years, she didn't start watching until a "couple seasons ago," when her assistant encouraged her to watch The Bachelor. She said, "I was immediately engaged. I cared. I wanted to know more about these people." Susan called the show "my new guilty pleasure."

It's interesting to think about how different The Golden Bachelorette would be if Susan had accepted the lead role. She's been a household name for decades, so it's certain that the men would've come into the show knowing exactly who she was and a lot about her. The famous Bachelor franchise question of whether they were there "for the right reasons" would definitely have become an issue. In addition, Susan is 77 years old, which is 16 years older than Joan, who's 61. This might've changed the age range of the cast of Golden Bachelorette men. It's intriguing to think about what Susan's season might've been like.

While it would've been fun to see Susan in the lead role as The Golden Bachelorette, Joan was the perfect choice. She had to leave Gerry Turner's Bachelor season early to return home to her daughter, who had postpartum depression. Joan and Gerry were developing a strong relationship, but she put her family first. Joan deserves this second chance at love on the reality dating series. She is a fan favorite who has a kind and dignified demeanor. Perhaps some day Susan will change her mind and take the lead of a future season of The Golden Bachelorette.

The Golden Bachelorette premieres in the fall of 2024 on ABC.

Sources: People, ABC/Instagram