Ryan Sutter Says He Still Can't Watch Wife Trista's Season of The Bachelorette — 17 Years Later

Aurelie Corinthios
·2 min read

Almost two decades later, Ryan Sutter still hasn't been able to watch his love story with wife Trista unfold on The Bachelorette.

Fresh off of being dumped by the original Bachelor Alex Michel, Trista (then Trista Rehn) became the first Bachelorette in 2003. It was there that she met and fell in love with Ryan, a firefighter. The two got married in a televised ceremony in December 2003.

Seventeen years later, they're still together and live in Colorado with their son Max, 12, and daughter Blakesley, 11. After Monday's episode of ABC's retrospective series, The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons — Ever!, looked back on their journey, the couple made a virtual appearance on Good Morning America on Tuesday.

Eugene Gologursky/Getty Ryan Sutter and Trista Sutter

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Trista, 47, said she remains "very, very, very grateful" that Michel didn't choose her. But despite their success story, Ryan, 45, admitted he still can't watch his wife's season of the show.

"Always been really uncomfortable for me," he said. "First of all, I don't like watching myself on television. I also don't like watching my wife kiss other guys on TV, so."

The couple also revealed that their kids are starting to get an inkling of who their parents are.

"I remember Blakesley, one time, she was like, 'Are we famous?'" Ryan recalled. "And you're trying to explain to her that people know who you are, but we're not really famous."

As for the future of the franchise? Both are looking forward to Clare Crawley's upcoming season of The Bachelorette, followed by Matt James' debut as the first black Bachelor.

"I'm really excited," Trista said. "It's about time. I am in full support of more diversity in The Bachelor and The Bachelorette — the whole franchise."

And Crawley is the "perfect lead," she added.

"There are still people out there who want to jump to judgment about why a woman would do this," she said. "I think that Clare is the perfect lead because she's really strong an intelligent, and she's going to fight for what she deserves."

The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons — Ever! returns July 20 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.