Bachelor Nation
‘The Bachelor’ Alum Nick Viall & Wife Natalie Joy Reveal Why They Won’t Address Cheating Rumors
Nick Viall and Natalie Joy are open books on their podcast, The Viall Files, but there’s one topic they haven’t touched: the rumors that started circulating last year about how she was allegedly unfaithful to him while they were engaged.
The speculation started on Reddit in May 2024, shortly after Viall and Joy welcomed their daughter, River, and then tied the knot in Savannah, Georgia. The rumors intensified after a shocking Instagram comment from Harry Jowsey one month later, but Viall and his wife have not revealed whether there’s any truth to them.
“Having River, you realize what’s important in life, [and it’s] protecting our family,” Joy said in an interview with Bustle, published on Thursday, January 16. “That’s why we don’t give oxygen to any rumors about us. Then it’s going to be a headline. Then River’s going to see it one day. She’s like, ‘Wait, what happened?’ And it’s like, none of it matters. We know what the truth is. We know what happens in our lives.”
For Viall, there’s also a focus on building his brand as a podcast host and producer. He launched his company, Envy Media, in January 2024. “I want it to be the SportsCenter of reality TV and pop culture,” Viall explained. “I definitely want to go back to school to become a therapist, so I can actually stop having to say I’m not one [when giving advice].”
The rumors about infidelity in Viall and Joy’s relationship started after her longtime friends stopped following her on Instagram after a girls’ trip to Paris. Reddit users have speculated that news of her alleged affair came out during the trip, leading to the apparent fallout.
Jowsey furthered the buzz when he responded to an Instagram commenter who pointed out that he was “getting roasted” by Viall on his podcast. “He can’t keep my d**k out of his mouth,” the Perfect Match alum replied. “50 year old man gossiping about people in their 20’s dating, he should be more focused on his wife cheating on him and repairing that then [sic] worrying about me.”
Days later, Viall appeared on The LadyGang podcast and revealed how he deals with rumors. “I don’t read my own press, I don’t read my comments,” he shared. “I’m not on Reddit. I actively stay off of it. And I’m just unaware of things that people say.”
Viall and Joy met after connecting over Instagram in 2020. The two quickly moved in together and got engaged in January 2023. Their daughter was born in February 2024, followed by a wedding that April. In addition to the cheating rumors, Viall and Joy have also dealt with criticism because of their 18-year age gap, which the Bachelor star said he was “self-conscious” about at first.
“But I didn’t want to be so self-conscious about it that I didn’t let [our relationship] happen,” he added.
