Ashley Iaconetti Haibon revealed that crossing over from one reality franchise to another isn’t always seamless.
Ashley, 37, found herself in unfamiliar territory while filming Real Housewives of Rhode Island, especially due to being surrounded by women with larger-than-life personalities, she told Us Weekly exclusively while promoting her new campaign, One Step to Love, for Philosophy‘s Purity MadeSimple One-Step Meltaway Cleansing Balm alongside fellow Bachelor alums Kaitlyn Bristowe and Becca Tilley. “I felt like a tiny fish here.”
“This experience has certainly been a ton different than The Bachelor. That’s about all I can say,” Ashley added. “It was interesting and I’m excited for it to air.”
Ashley is a Bachelor Nation fan-favorite, notably appearing on season 19 of The Bachelor back in 2015, during which she was eliminated in week 6. She returned for a franchise spinoff, appearing on season 2 of Bachelor in Paradise as well as season 3, before winning the first-ever Bachelor Winter Games in 2018.
Fans will get to see Iaconetti in a whole new light on RHORI, which gives viewers a peek into her family life with husband Jared Haibon and more years after making her reality TV debut.
“After finding love with her now-husband — and 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,” according to her Bravo bio. “While Jared manages their beloved coffee shop, Ashley has built a thriving career as a social media powerhouse, all while acclimating her new life in her husband’s home state.”
When asked if she and her husband, 37, were hesitant about joining the cast of RHORI, Ashley told Us they had discussions about the pros and cons, adding, “Absolutely, we went back and forth on the decision for about two months. We really thought it through heavily.”
Ashley and Jared, who met on Bachelor in Paradise season 2, tied the knot in August 2019 during a romantic ceremony held in Rhode Island. The reality star couple welcomed their first son, Dawson, in 2022 and their second son, Hayden, in 2024.
The official cast for The Real Housewives of Rhode Island was unveiled in November 2025 by Andy Cohen at BravoCon. Fans don’t have to wait much longer to see Ashley and her costars because network reps announced that RHORI is set to premiere sometime in 2026.
Cohen, an executive producer of the series, also raved over the casting being “incredible.”
During her interview, Ashley told Us that she has never actually watched a “full season of the Housewives” prior to her appearance on the franchise.
“I’ve just watched, like, here and there in the background whenever my mom would watch old-school New York,” she shared. “So I do feel, based on the couple episodes of Jersey that I’ve seen that yes, I vibe that. I do think that Rhode Island is underratedly very Jersey.”
Ashley continued, “As soon as I moved to Rhode Island or started visiting with Jared, I was like, this place is just a small version of Jersey.”
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