The Golden Bachelorette’s Joan Vassos Faces Heartache After Loss, Reflects on Family Challenges with Chock Chapple

Right after leaving Chock's hometown in Kansas, The Golden Bachelorette star Joan Vasos paid tribute to a public figure who recently died. Joan and Chock have been flying back and forth to see each other after getting engaged during The Golden Bachelorette season 1. The couple has their sights set on buying a home in New York, but nothing has been announced yet. In the meantime, Joan and Chock have had to deal with criticism accusing them of not being in a real relationship; lately, though, it appears they've worked through family drama and just might get married this year.

Joan posted a photo taken in Washington, DC. She revealed that she went to the Capitol to "pay respects" to President Jimmy Carter, who died on December 29, 2024, at the age of 100; he was the longest-living president in United States history. Before his state funeral, the former president lied in state at the Capitol Rotunda. While walking through the building, Joan noticed there was a sign outside a door that said, "Special Committee on Aging." She took a photo next to the sign because, as she joked, "I didn't even know we had our own Congressional committee!"

What Joan Vassos Finding Humor Amid Major Loss Means

Joan Vassos Wanted To Bring Some Levity To A Depressing Moment

Joan found it humorous that the U.S. Congress has a committee on aging, and she felt like sharing the moment with her Instagram followers. This came in the same post in which she paid tribute to President Carter. It could have come across as inappropriate to be sharing a lighter moment within the same post, but sometimes a little levity can be a good thing amid terrible and tragic news.

Interestingly, a lot of her fans didn't seem interested in the tribute part of her post. Instead, there were a lot of people in the comments section asking where she got her coat from. Someone else thought Joan should be on the committee on aging so she can use her platform for good and represent senior citizens, even though members of the committee are actually people who serve in Congress, not regular citizens.

Our Take On Joan Vassos Traveling To Capitol After Visiting Chock

Chock Wasn't With Joan To Pay Tribute

Joan lives in Maryland, which borders Washington DC, so it was probably a quick trip to go in person to the Capitol Rotunda. While I'm not sure if Chock's ever been to DC, this would have been a beautiful moment for the two of them to experience together. Unfortunately, Joan and Chock still have their separate lives in Maryland and Kansas, respectively, so there are going to be a lot of events and activities they miss out on with each other. Now that the holidays are over, it's unclear how soon The Golden Bachelorette stars will visit one another again.