Tayshia Adams is officially on rose duty.
The 30-year-old California native became the new “Bachelorette” on Thursday, amid months of speculation she would replace Season 16’s original star, Clare Crawley, who got engaged to contestant Dale Moss.
“Hasn’t hit me yet,” Adams told host Chris Harrison on Thursday’s episode as she emerged from her limo.
“I feel like this is the right moment in time, I wouldn’t be standing here, I don’t think if it wasn’t meant to be,” she continued.
A Bachelor Nation fan favorite, Adams joined the franchise in 2019, when she competed on Colton Underwood’s season of “The Bachelor.” She finished third and went on to appear in Season 6 of “Bachelor in Paradise” the same year, falling for “Bachelorette” alum John Paul Jones. The couple called it quits last fall.
Although Adams’ on-air journey began Thursday, her road to becoming “The Bachelorette” has been in the making for some time.
In August, rumors began to circulate about Crawley, 39, exiting her season early after falling for 32-year-old Moss. By the fall, however, “Bachelor” aficionado “Reality Steve” Carbone alleged the show’s production team was behind her departure and Adams’ introduction.
Crawley, who fueled engagement buzz in October after flashing a ring on her engagement finger, had been coy in interviews about her current relationship status, recently telling “Entertainment Tonight” she’s “very happy.”
As for Adams being tapped as Crawley’s replacement, Bachelor Nation had essentially given the “Click Bait” podcast host a standing ovation on social media — before she was officially named to the “Bachelorette” post.
“Tayshia as #TheBachelorette is the plot twist we needed in 2020,” one fan previously tweeted.
“Friendly reminder that every second is a second closer to Queen Tayshia being back on our screens,” another posted.
“Clare’s fine but I’m patiently waiting till we get the beautiful queen Tayshia as the real bachelorette,” one fan wrote.