JOAN VASSOS
DISNEY UPFRONT 24 - The Disney Advertising Upfront is a showcase event that brings together all the content corners of The Walt Disney Company on one stage. (Disney/Michael Le Brecht) JOAN VASSOS

ABC has introduced its newest Golden girl.

Joan Vassos has officially been named as the first leading lady of the highly anticipated series 'The Golden Bachelorette.' ABC made the announcement during the 2024 Disney Upfronts at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in the heart of New York City on Tuesday.

According to The Wrap, Vassos planned to make a return to 'The Golden Bachelor' after she left during week 3 to be with her daughter after she had a baby. Despite the initial plan, she decided to bow out altogether, claiming returning "wasn't in the cards."

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The school administrator was previously married for 32 years to a man named John, who died after a battle with pancreatic cancer in January 2021.

EDITH AGUIRRE, JOAN VASSOS, CHARITY LAWSON, KATHY SWARTZ
THE GOLDEN WEDDING - After lifetimes of love and loss and a whirlwind journey on "The Golden Bachelor," Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist will walk down the aisle to begin their next chapter, happily ever after. Hosted by Jesse Palmer, "The Golden Wedding" airs LIVE on ABC. THURSDAY, JAN. 4, 2024 (Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty Images) EDITH AGUIRRE, JOAN VASSOS, CHARITY LAWSON, KATHY SWARTZ

"He was the husband that always made me feel safe and cherished," Vassos, 61, captioned in her Instagram post on January 18. "He was the parent that was always the fun one because that's all he knew how to do...lucky kids because fun in his book was generally epic. I could go on for hours."

The two welcomed four children during their time together. Now, she returns as the first 'Golden Bachelorette' after appearing on Gerry Turner's season of 'The Golden Bachelor.'

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'The Golden Bachelorette' will run for an hour and a half on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. — a longer showtime than the previous 'Golden Bachelor's' one hour episodes last year.

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SUSAN NOLES, THERESA NIST, GERRY TURNER, JEN WOOLSTON
THE GOLDEN WEDDING (Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty Images)SUSAN NOLES, THERESA NIST, GERRY TURNER, JEN WOOLSTON

Former contestant Susan Noles claims the network "had to" create 'The Golden Bachelorette' due to the success of 'The Golden Bachelor.' "Even young people watch this show, not just people my age," the 67-year-old said.

"I can't go anywhere without taking selfies with people. It's just crazy," she continued. "I'm so impressed by the people and what they know about the show and about my personality. It's really awesome."

ABC's "The Bachelor" - Season 26
THE BACHELOR - ABC's "The Bachelor" stars Clayton Echard. (Pamela Littky/ABC via Getty Images)

'The Bachelor' franchise is produced by Warner Bros. 'The Golden Bachelor' debut remains the most-watched premiere of a show throughout the entire series, averaging 9.92M multi-platform viewers after 35 days.