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Hayley Kiyoko Offers to Host LGBTQ Season of The Bachelor

"Let's make it happen," says the pop star.
  • Hayley Kiyoko (Photo: Atlantic Records)
    Hayley Kiyoko (Photo: Atlantic Records)

    Singer Hayley Kiyoko, who has been dating former Bachelor contestant Becca Tilley for the last four years says the franchise is ready for an LGBTQ lead. In fact, she's up for hosting.

    During an interview with The Daily Beast, Kiyoko said she isn't sure why the network has never showcased an LGBTQ lead on either The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, but she believes social norms are likely to blame, saying, "I think that we still live in a very hetero society."

    Kiyoko and Tilley first went public with their relationship in Kiyoko's music video for her song "For the Girls," which was a parody of The Bachelorette starring Kiyoko as the lead and Tilley as the recipient of the singer's final rose.

    "I think the more we can create content like that music video and question society and be like, 'Hey, there are a lot of people who would watch this show,' the better," Kiyoko said. "I loved directing that video. It made me want to get into reality television, because we just had an absolute blast on set."

    Kiyoko said that Tilley's Bachelor fanbase was "loving and supportive of her taking time to share her truth," but that the reality star was initially nervous about what people might think, partially due to the precedent set by the Bachelor franchise.

    "She comes from a different world," Kiyoko said. "She's from Louisiana and was on The Bachelor twice, so it can be a different demographic, so to speak."

    To date, there has been little LGBTQ representation in ABC's hit reality dating franchise. During Season 6 of Bachelor in Paradise, Demi Burnett became the first contestant to have a same-sex relationship on the show when she brought her girlfriend, Kristian Haggerty, to join her. The couple became engaged at the end of the season but later broke up.

    New episodes of the current season of The Bachelorette air on ABC Mondays at 8 PM ET.

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    Kirstie Renae is a writer, blogger, and Austin-based actress with a penchant for binge-watching TV with her dogs. Follow her on Twitter @KirstieRenae.

    TOPICS: Hayley Kiyoko, ABC, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, Becca Tilley, Demi Burnett, Kristian Haggerty