Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon got a major chance to reconnect when they returned to Mexico during season 8 of Bachelor in Paradise. The trip took place during summer 2022, just months after they welcomed their son, Dawson, in January. Although the two spent some quality time in the Boom Boom Room, though, a Paradise baby was not in the cards for them. “I would love another kids, but there’s no way [right now],” Jared told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. Ashley added that the pair’s current “lifestyle” — they own a coffee shop in Rhode Island — is what’s preventing them from trying for baby no. 2 at the moment.
“Plus, I’ll probably have Hyperemesis Gravidarum [intense morning sickness] again, so I’m going to need an at home nurse or my mom and dad to basically take care of me for the first half of pregnancy, for sure,” Ashley explained. “So that brings on a whole other thing. We do plan on trying for a second, we just don’t know when.”
For now, Ashley and Jared are enjoying the time they have with Dawson, who they said they hope to take down to Paradise with them the next time they’re able to return. Ashley and Jared met on season 2 of the show in 2015, and he friend-zoned her after she fell hard for him. They both returned for season 3, but Jared once again rejected a romantic relationship with Ashley. The two stayed close friends after that, and wound up getting together romantically in 2018. Jared proposed during a return trip to Paradise that summer and they tied the knot in 2019.
Even though Ashley and Jared had a rough journey while they were contestants on BIP, though, they still plan to let Dawson watch the show one day (if he wants to). “There’s nothing wrong with showing Dawson that life can be surprising and unexpected and difficult in a lot of areas,” Jared said. “Sometimes you have to work through things in a couple and in a relationship. There can be times when you have bad times with the person you love and you try to work through them. That’s what a relationship is all about. I’m excited to teach him those lessons.”
On their most recent trip to Paradise, Ashley and Jared got to spend time with the couples on the show in addition to reconnecting with each other. “We were with the cast the whole time,” Jared shared. “We really were like mom and dad down there. We just tried to tell them to enjoy the moment. There’s not many times when you’re on national television and have this opportunity to date people on this exotic beach. The opportunity that you have in front of you is unlike anything you have moving forward, so just soak it in and enjoy every moment of it. Of course, take it seriously, to an extent because you’re dating and want to develop a relationship, but also have fun. Dating is meant to be fun.”
Plus, Ashley and Jared’s own relationship is a prime example that anything could happen…even if it doesn’t work out while filming the show. “I know that we’re very much the exception to the rule,” Ashley admitted. “But it’s not a process for everyone. It’s so quick and some of us are wired to be slower, so if it’s really meant to be with someone you find there, you’ll have the opportunity to spend time with them outside of this.”
Bachelor in Paradise airs on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. on ABC.