JoJo and Jordan Had Their Own ‘Mini Therapy Sessions’ on the Set of ‘The Big D’

As one of the few left Bachelorette combinations still go well, viewers may think it’s ironic JoJo Fletcher And Jordan Rogers are tapped to host a show about divorce, but the couple beg to differ.

“We come from the reality TV world. We fell in love with reality TV — we know it works,” Rodgers, 34, told us exclusively Us weekly ahead of USA Network’s Wednesday, June 14 premiere The big D. “In today’s day and age you can get any kind of dating program you want on any platform, [but] this is a niche that I don’t think has been touched. And I think it’s important because there’s such a negative stereotype or stigma that comes with divorce. It feels like you failed. We haven’t been there, but we’ve been around couples on the show [and] outside the show [that have]. … We want to paint the picture that this is the beginning of something new. And you can find love after a divorce. You can find healthy relationships with your ex, move on and turn the page and enter that next chapter of your life hoping you can fall in love.

The big D follows six former couples – who have been separated for several years – who date the other divorcees in a villa in Costa Rica. The cast takes part in relationship “EX-ercises” to help them make new connections while also finding peace with their former husband. Each episode features an elimination of a contestant “who isn’t relationship material”.

“It’s this group of people that I think often feel like, ‘It’s over for me,’ or ‘It’s never going to be the same.’ And that’s not the case,” Rodgers continued. TV is, but it can still work. And that’s why we were here and that’s what we loved about it.”

Fans were introduced to Fletcher on Ben Higginsseason 20 of The Bachelor. She starred as Season 12’s Bachelorette and fell for Rodgers.

“I have to sit there and watch 25 other guys date and try to make some moves with my wife-to-be. I knew [JoJo] was my future wife. She may not have known it at the time, but we got there. So I think my perspective for some of these guys and some of these divorcées in the house was that you have to focus on yourself as much as you focus on your relationship and who you want to be with,” the former quarterback recalled. Unpleasant Us. “And that was a big part I had to do The Bachelorette — I had to go, ‘You know what? I believe in the connection we have and I don’t let outside noise affect me. Because if I do, it will change who I am. It’s going to change how I react. It will change the time I spend with her.’ So I guess that was kind of my advice to some of them [contestants] — ‘Hey, it’s getting crazy. You’re in a house with your ex, but if you can just focus on the good, focus on the internal growth, and focus on that one relationship you want to pursue – kind of blinders on – it can work. It’s not easy, but it can work.’”

Rodgers and Fletcher got engaged during the 2016 ABC show finale and have been candid about battling through a “tough first year” of their romance, which included working together.

“The first show we ever did together was the year after we were together. And Sarah, you know, we always said our freshman year was like, ‘Holy moly, are we going to get through this?’ But that was a real true test for us. We got through that [with] flying colors. We were optimistic,” Fletcher explained Us, adding that they “thrive” on set together. “We love it so much. We’re having a lot of fun with it, but this show, the big D, is different because we look at many past relationships. There’s a lot of talk about relationships, so there were definitely times when we thought, “This is actually kind of interesting.” Things we hadn’t thought about or how it might affect our relationship, we started talking about it [through] small mini therapy sessions with [the show’s relationship expert] Dr Jada Jackson. I feel like we’ve grown a lot from this show as well.

While Rodgers and Fletcher finally got married in May 2022 after rescheduling their wedding due to coronavirus-related delays, they actually filmed The big D ahead of their big day and are eager to tune in the crowd.

“There’s a couple that’s been together for 16 years — a good part of their lives — high school sweethearts [and] was married. They get in and one person is ready to get back together [and] one person is ready to move on and cut ties,” Rodgers explained. “And as soon as they enter the house, things start to change for that couple. I think that’s interesting – how you felt about your ex or how you felt about entering your relationship doesn’t always end [being] what happens once you are in it. So that was interesting to see someone say, “I’m never getting back with my ex.” They go in there and say, ‘Wait, maybe it wasn’t as bad as I thought.’”

The big D premieres on USA Network Wednesday, June 14 at 10 p.m. ET.

Watch the video above for more from Fletcher and Rodgers!