At BravoCon 2025, it was officially confirmed that Bachelor Nation star Ashley Iaconetti will join the newest, highly anticipated installment of the franchise, “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island.” Iaconetti is among eight new cast members, while RHONJ star Dolores Catania returns to reality TV as a “friend of” on the series.
Now that Iaconetti can finally breathe after keeping her RHORI role under wraps, she and her “The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous” podcast co-host Ben Higgins teased her new role in the upcoming season and her thoughts on returning to reality TV.
Ashley Iaconetti Teases Her RHORI Debut
GettyOn the Nov. 17 episode of “The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous” podcast, hosts Ashley Iaconetti and Ben Higgins spilled on her new role as a “Real Housewives of Rhode Island” star.
“The reason I was gone a lot during the summer was because I was filming ‘The Real Housewives of Rhode Island,'” she began. “I truly can’t say much more than you can check out the trailer, which dropped at BravoCon.”
Although Iaconetti could not say much about the upcoming franchise, which does not have a premiere date as of this writing, the star shared why filming the series was “a little less scary” thanks to her reality TV experience.
“It was a lot different than ‘The Bachelor,’ I will say that. … It is a very fun, exciting time to kind of go through the cycle again, especially with so many nice people out there rooting for me,” she said.
“It seems a little less scary than I think it might for other people, who are going out there and no one knows their personality. At least, like, you guys kind of understand who I am and hopefully that still stays reflected throughout the show,” she continued.
Iaconetti has a long history with the Bachelor franchise. She first appeared on Chris Soules’ season of “The Bachelor” and later joined seasons 2 and 3 of “Bachelor in Paradise,” where she connected with her husband, Jared Haibon, who will also appear on RHORI. Before her relationship with Haibon, Iaconetti won “The Bachelor Winter Games” alongside Kevin Wendt, with whom she had a brief romance.
Iaconetti’s Storyline on RHORI Season One
GettyWith the official cast of RHORI revealed, Iaconetti’s bio on Bravo reads that her husband, Haibon, and their two children will appear on the new series.
“After finding love with her now-husband, Warwick, Rhode Island native Jared Haibon, on ‘Bachelor in Paradise,’ Ashley has traded rose ceremonies for real life as a proud mom to two boys, Dawson and Hayden. While Jared manages their beloved coffee shop, Ashley has built a thriving career as a social media powerhouse, all while acclimating to her new life in her husband’s home state.”
In the trailer, which was first released during BravoCon 2025, Iaconetti is the new addition to this group of close friends. However, it seems that getting along with this bunch of fierce Rhode Island women isn’t so easy, as Iaconetti is seen crying on several occasions. “This is not the kind of people I am usually around,” she shares in a confessional.
On her podcast, Iaconetti shared that she was happy with the response from fans after she was revealed to be a part of the cast.
“Thank you all for being so supportive and saying the sweetest things about me being on there, I appreciate that so much,” she said.
Both Iaconetti and Higgins also revealed that they would recap episodes of RHORI when it is finally released. It will be an additional treat for fans who may wonder what Iaconetti really felt during her moments on the show.
