Nick Viall and his wife Natalie Joyshed light on why they chose not to address previous speculation that it was false.
“Having River makes you realize what’s important in life, (which is) protecting our family,” Joy, 26, said commotion in an interview published Thursday, Jan. 16, referring to the couple’s 23-month-old daughter. “That’s why we don’t give oxygen to any rumors about us. Then it will be a title.
Joy explained this their daughter may see the theories one day. “She says, ‘Wait. What happened?” Joy said of their toddler’s hypothetical reaction. “And it’s like none of that matters. We know what the truth is. We know what is going on in our lives.”
Rumors began swirling on Reddit in May 2024 that Joy had cheated on Viall, 44, around the time the couple got engaged. (Vial asked the question to Joy in January 2023 after more than two years of relationship.)
Speculation intensified when Harry Jossey mentioned the theories in an Instagram comment as a way to get back at Viall for discussing his appearance on Netflix A perfect match on the Viall Files podcast.
“He can’t keep my cock out of his mouth 😂,” Josie, 27, wrote in June 2024. “A 50 year old man gossips about 20 year olds dating he should focus more on his wife cheating on him and fix it then you worry about me 😂😂.”

While not directly addressing the speculation, Viall addressed the “rumors” during an appearance on the “Lady Gang” podcast this month.
“I am aware of many rumors about me. And I know I don’t know about 90 percent more because I don’t read it,” he said. “I don’t read my own press. I don’t read my comments. I’m not on Reddit — I actively stay off it. And I’m just not aware of the things people are saying.
During the more recent interview with Bustle, the former bachelor reflected on the criticism of their romance and shared that he previously did not accept the couple’s 18-year age difference.
“When we first started dating, I was very worried about the age difference,” Viall said commotion. “But I didn’t want to be so self-conscious about it that I didn’t let (our relationship) happen.”

Viall explained that he believes people should protect their own “energy” above everything else in life.
“When people tell me I’m (hated), it hurts my feelings. … But I have the ability to not go down a rabbit hole and try to justify myself to someone I’ve never met,” Viall said. “It really helped us, you know? (Especially) as new parents – what’s the best use of our energy?”