Before Tayshia Adams stepped in to finish out Clare Crawley's truly bonkers season of The Bachelorette, before she embarked on a whirlwind on-again, off-again romance with fellow Bachelor in Paradise star John Paul Jones, and even before her post-fantasy suite breakup on Colton Underwood's season of The Bachelor, she was just a normal California-based phlebotomist who was with her first boyfriend for the better part of a decade, including two years as husband and wife. Adams and Josh Bourelle were together for a total of about six years before separating in late 2017, and the new Bachelorette has been unafraid to be honest about her divorce and how it's shaped her approach to finding love. In fact, she made sure to talk openly about her and Bourelle's split practically as soon as she met her new set of suitors on the Nov. 10 episode of The Bachelorette.
"It's not hard at all [to talk about] because it's definitely something that I've experienced in the past and it led me to today," Adams told Us Weekly of her openness on the topic. "But I don't want it to define me, because it doesn't define me. It's just something that I grew from and I learned from."
With Adams' romantic history certain to keep resurfacing as she continues to build relationships with her harem of boyfriends on national TV, here's everything we know about Bourelle and their marriage.
Who is Josh Bourelle?
Bourelle is a roofing contractor, with his LinkedIn profile listing him as the co-CEO of D&J Roofing, Inc., in Orange County, California. His Instagram is private, but he regularly appears on the D&J Roofing page, where he occasionally posts personal updates among photos of finished roofing projects.
Bourelle and Adams began dating while she was attending college at Concordia University Irvine, and got engaged a few years after she graduated with her bachelor's degree in biology in 2012. The pair tied the knot in February 2016, according to Us Weekly, but Bourelle reportedly filed for divorce in October 2017; their split was finalized the following month.
What has Tayshia said about her ex-husband?
The Bachelorette has spoken often about coming to terms with her divorce, which she has said was not necessarily what she wanted to do. "I guess I could kind of sense we weren't doing very well. And I think that's why I fought so hard, just to try to do as much as I possibly could [to save the marriage]," Adams told Underwood during her stint on The Bachelor, which was filmed only about a year after her divorce was finalized.
She added, "Being a Christian woman, you get married once and that's going to be it. You know, you expect that from your partner as well. ... But you can’t make someone want to be married. It's the toughest thing I've gone through, and I think that's what's made me so strong and fearless."
She gave more details about the circumstances surrounding the split during her first one-on-one date as the newest Bachelorette. "I married a guy that I met in college. I also had lost myself in my marriage, like my identity was him.... We got divorced, and I too felt like I failed. I too felt embarrassed and ashamed and that fear of, 'Our parents going to be upset, our friends are going to be upset,'" she told Brendan Morais on the Nov. 10 episode, during which she bonded with Morais over having been married and divorced in their twenties.
Has Tayshia's ex said anything about her season of The Bachelorette?
Not yet. Adams told Us Weekly she hasn't heard from Bourelle about her surprise mid-season takeover of The Bachelorette, adding, "And even if I have, I'm on cloud nine right now. Just let a girl live!"
Interestingly, on Nov. 10, right as Adams' first full episode as the new Bachelorette was about to air, Bourelle posted a reflection on the events of 2020 on his company's Instagram. "I have some amazing friends, a very supportive family, and most of all a girlfriend that has made me a better person, and has stood by my side and supported me through thick and thin. I love you Steph and I am truly blessed to have you as my life partner. I love you very much, and I can’t wait for what the future has in store for both of us," he wrote.
It's either subtly shady or a completely innocent coincidence, and we'll likely never know for sure. One thing we do know, however, is that Tayshia is absolutely not bothered by it—how could she be, with 16 dudes currently pining after her every Tuesday on ABC?
