Some fans of Jenn Tran were surprised to see an ex-boyfriend at the Dancing with the Stars premiere on September 17.
As Jenn hit the dance floor with her partner Sasha Farber, former suitor Jonathan Johnson was sitting right up front cheering her on. Curious minds want to know if there’s something going on there. After all, Jonathan did tell Nick Viall on his podcast that he would totally still date Jenn if she asked him out.
But despite rumblings that they’ve reconnected, they’re just friends. After having her heart broken by Devin Strader on the Bachelorette Season Finale, Jenn’s not quite ready to date again. She needs a minute to heal.
Jonathan Johnson has been “a rock” for Jenn Tran
“Honestly, Jonathan’s been such an amazing friend,” Jenn told People. “[It’s] so great to have someone here in L.A. to support me and be such a rock for me. [But] my heart’s just, right now, not in the space to date anybody, let alone Jonathan.”
“But I’m just so excited to see where our friendship goes,” she added coyly.
As Jenn made her DWTS debut, Jonathan grinned from ear to ear, accompanied by Bachelor Nation’s Susie Evans and Justin Glaze. Having a community from The Bachelorette has meant the world to Jenn, after all the drama of the show’s aftermath and the breakup with Devin.
“[The support feels] so, so good,” she admitted. “[When] I went into The Bachelor, I wanted a fiancé out of it, and I didn’t [get one]. But I got an amazing support system … So I couldn’t be more grateful, truly.”
She also found support in her DWTS partner Sasha. “I went into the show to have a great dance partner, and I came out with a best friend,” she concluded.
For her first dance of the season Jenn chose a Taylor Swift song, something she also did every week on The Bachelorette. Hoping to match the energy of the premiere, she chose the song “‘Fearless,’ because I’m diving headfirst into dancing,” she shared.
A quick transition from The Bachelorette to DWTS
Just hours after filming After the Final Rose, Jenn was on a flight to New York for DWTS. “I was onstage crying, doing the whole breakup, I get back to the dressing room, and [I’m] told I have 45 minutes to get on my flight,” she told EW. “It was all just … very, very last minute.”
“I didn’t even pack any of my stuff; I just had my little bag,” she added. “I was just … running through the airport.”
At the time, Jenn was still in shock from Devin saying he “regretted getting engaged” and his apparent lack of emotion at ATFR. “I was just thinking about the things that were important to me,” she said. “And what was important to me was the fact that he disrespected our entire relationship after the fact.”
“Like I said, I can sit here and try to understand why someone would change their mind after [making] all those crazy, crazy proclamations of love,” she continued. “But to also then sit here and disrespect the entire relationship by doing things that you know are going to hurt me, and by doing things that are just disrespectful to me, is next level of crazy.”
A few days later, Jenn and Jonathan reunited and posted a TikTok together (see above).
Even though she had eliminated him from the show following their Fantasy Suite date, Jonathan proclaimed himself, “All good. I’m not holding a grudge,” in a September 7 Instagram post.
Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesdays @ 8/7c on Hulu and Disney+.
TELL US – WERE YOU SURPRISED TO SEE JENN AND JONATHAN AS FRIENDS AFTER SHE “BROKE HIS HEART?” DO YOU THINK THEY’LL EVOLVE INTO SOMETHING MORE?
