From roses to happily ever after? As soon as Nayte Olukoya stepped out of the limo to vie for Michelle Young‘s heart, viewers could tell there was something special between him and the season 18 Bachelorette. Sadly, their romance didn’t last as the twosome split in June 2022.
Olukoya received the first impression rose during the October 2021 premiere of the ABC show, and he later said he didn’t understand the significance of the gesture at the time.
“Obviously, you can assume that it’s just who Michelle had a really good first impression of, right?” he said on an episode of the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast that same month. “But, like, the world of Bachelor Nation? I didn’t have a clue.”
While sparks continued to fly between the pair, the Minnesota native found herself falling in love with runner-up Brandon Jones as well. After revealing in the December 2021 finale that she was “in love with them both,” the teacher was forced to face her feelings for her remaining two suitors.
“They have given me everything that I’ve asked for and tomorrow is going to be the hardest decision I’ve ever made,” she explained during a confessional in the emotional episode.
After Jones and Olukoya each chose Neil Lane engagement rings, the former Bachelor contestant turned down the Texas native’s proposal, noting, “It’s not that I don’t love you, because I do. It’s just that my heart is pushing me in a different direction and I have to go with what I feel and it hurts so much because you are this unbelievable person.”
Young later reflected on her instant connection with Olukoya after he got down on one knee.
“This has not necessarily been a smooth ride, but I’m also not willing to face that fear of walking away from this without you,” she shared. “Because I have never felt a love like this before. And I love you with my entire heart and don’t ever want to think about waking up next to anyone besides you and doing life with anyone besides you. And at the end, I wanted to be standing in front of my soulmate and he is definitely standing right in front of me.”
During the live After the Final Rose special, Young opened up about how much closer the couple became after they finished filming the reality series.
“I think what’s so hard is that you go through this experience and you have these magical moments, and you leave, like, in love, but then you spend so much more time together. You get to text, FaceTime, talk to each other’s families come and get significantly closer,” she said in December 2021. “I think the biggest thing is we communicate through everything. And it doesn’t always have to be this perfect communication but we both know we’re going to stick in it. We are going to not let go. We are going to hold on, and that is the biggest part. Because it is not easy. There’s going to be uncomfortable emotions, and we definitely had them.”
Olukoya, for his part, candidly discussed his love for Young as fans got to see them take the next step in their relationship.
“Michelle, ever since September 9th, 2021, when I got on one knee to ask you to spend the rest of our lives together, it has been an absolute dream come true,” he wrote in a lengthy Instagram post at the time. “There will inevitably be ups and downs, just like any other strong relationship. But I don’t care if it’s tomorrow, 5 years from now, or 50 years from now. I plan on always giving you my full effort and working through life with you.”
Six months after their proposal aired, the twosome announced they had parted ways. “To you, Nayte, you quickly became my best friend and the love I have for you is incredibly strong,” Young wrote via Instagram in June 2022 after previously denying the split rumors. “I will never stop wanting to see you succeed.”
Olukoya, for his part, shut down cheating speculation the same month. “No, I didn’t cheat,” the Canada native wrote via social media. “Not every breakup needs to have someone to blame.”
Scroll down to relive Young and Olukoya’s relationship highs and lows:
From roses to happily ever after? As soon as Nayte Olukoya stepped out of the limo to vie for Michelle Young‘s heart, viewers could tell there was something special between him and the season 18 Bachelorette. Sadly, their romance didn’t last as the twosome split in June 2022.
Olukoya received the first impression rose during the October 2021 premiere of the ABC show, and he later said he didn’t understand the significance of the gesture at the time.
“Obviously, you can assume that it’s just who Michelle had a really good first impression of, right?” he said on an episode of the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast that same month. “But, like, the world of Bachelor Nation? I didn’t have a clue.”
While sparks continued to fly between the pair, the Minnesota native found herself falling in love with runner-up Brandon Jones as well. After revealing in the December 2021 finale that she was “in love with them both,” the teacher was forced to face her feelings for her remaining two suitors.
“They have given me everything that I’ve asked for and tomorrow is going to be the hardest decision I’ve ever made,” she explained during a confessional in the emotional episode.
After Jones and Olukoya each chose Neil Lane engagement rings, the former Bachelor contestant turned down the Texas native’s proposal, noting, “It’s not that I don’t love you, because I do. It’s just that my heart is pushing me in a different direction and I have to go with what I feel and it hurts so much because you are this unbelievable person.”
Young later reflected on her instant connection with Olukoya after he got down on one knee.
“This has not necessarily been a smooth ride, but I’m also not willing to face that fear of walking away from this without you,” she shared. “Because I have never felt a love like this before. And I love you with my entire heart and don’t ever want to think about waking up next to anyone besides you and doing life with anyone besides you. And at the end, I wanted to be standing in front of my soulmate and he is definitely standing right in front of me.”
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During the live After the Final Rose special, Young opened up about how much closer the couple became after they finished filming the reality series.
“I think what’s so hard is that you go through this experience and you have these magical moments, and you leave, like, in love, but then you spend so much more time together. You get to text, FaceTime, talk to each other’s families come and get significantly closer,” she said in December 2021. “I think the biggest thing is we communicate through everything. And it doesn’t always have to be this perfect communication but we both know we’re going to stick in it. We are going to not let go. We are going to hold on, and that is the biggest part. Because it is not easy. There’s going to be uncomfortable emotions, and we definitely had them.”
Olukoya, for his part, candidly discussed his love for Young as fans got to see them take the next step in their relationship.
“Michelle, ever since September 9th, 2021, when I got on one knee to ask you to spend the rest of our lives together, it has been an absolute dream come true,” he wrote in a lengthy Instagram post at the time. “There will inevitably be ups and downs, just like any other strong relationship. But I don’t care if it’s tomorrow, 5 years from now, or 50 years from now. I plan on always giving you my full effort and working through life with you.”
Six months after their proposal aired, the twosome announced they had parted ways. “To you, Nayte, you quickly became my best friend and the love I have for you is incredibly strong,” Young wrote via Instagram in June 2022 after previously denying the split rumors. “I will never stop wanting to see you succeed.”
Olukoya, for his part, shut down cheating speculation the same month. “No, I didn’t cheat,” the Canada native wrote via social media. “Not every breakup needs to have someone to blame.”
Scroll down to relive Young and Olukoya’s relationship highs and lows:
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Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin
First Meeting
The Canada native stood out from the start of Young’s Bachelorette journey, receiving the first impression rose and the first kiss of the 18th season.
During an interview on the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast in October 2021, Olukoya admitted that he didn’t expect to reach both milestones, noting, “I’m not a smooth individual.”
Although the contestant wasn’t “expecting” a kiss so soon, he said it was an “ever happy” moment for him.
Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin
Ready for a Commitment
Amid concerns that Olukoya was not ready to get married, the account executive set the record straight on the “Click Bait” podcast in December 2021, saying, “When Young’s asking me, like, ‘There’s one thing between being in love with somebody or falling in love with somebody, and then an engagement,’ what I was trying to say in that moment was, ‘I don’t have all the answers. I don’t know what life is going to look if you and I [were] to leave this bubble.’”
He added: “All I knew is that I trust myself, like, I trust that I’m falling in love with you, I’m trusting that I seriously want to be with you. And I don’t have all the answers. … I’m not the perfect answer guy who’s going to tell you everything you want to hear.”
Young, for her part, explained that there was more to Olukoya than met viewers’ eyes.
“When Nayte just stepped out of the limo, he was just very confident — but he didn’t have that overconfidence. He was still nervous,” she excluslveiy told Us Weekly while her season aired. “I was nervous as well. Through the season, [I’ve] always enjoyed peeling back different layers, and, at the moment in the season, I’m really, truly figuring out just how many layers he has.”
Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin
The Proposal
After sending Jones packing, Young said yes to Olukoya’s proposal, calling him her “person.”
Olukoya, for his part, gushed: “Michelle, the very first night I met you, I knew right then and there that we had a connection that I wanted to hold on to. The second night that we were together, we talked about running away together. I’m standing in front of you right now and the feelings are the same. I want to run away with you. I want to run away to forever with a woman that I’ve come to love this amazingly, crazy, wow kind of love. And through this journey, you’ve shared a lot of vulnerable sides of your past and I know that you’ve felt unseen at times and I want to let you know that I am completely prepared, willing and ready to make sure that you are always chosen first, seen now, today, tomorrow and for the rest of our lives. I love you, Michelle.”
Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin
Parental Stamp of Approval
During the After the Final Rose special, Young’s mom, Lavonne, responded to the assumption that she favored Jones over her future son-in-law.
“We are in love with Nayte. Absolutely in love with Nayte,” she told host Kaitlyn Bristowe in December 2021. “You know, Michelle, I don’t know if she’s told you, but she shared one of the texts that you sent her, and I won’t say — but it was beautiful. It was so heartwarming. It was so — it made me cry.”
Olukoya’s mother, also revealed that she and Lavonne were in contact “after each episode” aired.
Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin
Shutting Down Those Red Flag Concerns
Olukoya took to social media to call out “the edit” that his relationship received throughout season 18 after viewers watched him pop the question on screen.
“Thank you for seeing past what people have always seemed to get stuck on when it comes to me. My whole life people have taken one look at me and thought they had me all figured out,” he captioned an Instagram post in December 2021. “Maybe it’s the tattoos and piercings. Maybe it’s the way I carry myself. Maybe it’s as silly as my height or as ignorant as the color of my skin. Maybe it’s how awful I am at expressing myself or how gosh darn awkward I almost always am.”
The Bachelorette contestant credited his fiancée for embracing his true identity, despite fans’ opinions that he was a “walking red flag.” He continued, “But you, Michelle, you saw me for me from the very first night, and I will always always always love and appreciate you for that.”
He concluded: “All in all, Michelle, you’re all I see, you’re all I’ve ever wanted, and you’re all I’ll ever want. Thank you for being you and thank you for being the one to unlock my hearts potential. I can’t get enough of living this dream come true with you.”
Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin
Looking Toward the Future
Following the conclusion of her journey, Young addressed why her love story didn’t need to be “perceived as perfect” to others.
“As long as it’s perfect for you and me,” she wrote in a lengthy tribute to her fiancé via Instagram in December 2021. “You’ve quickly become the pep in my step, The reason I smile through hard days. I love the way you love, You make me feel beautiful in so many ways.”
The reality star noted that although they have “no idea what’s in life’s plan,” she was “incredibly at peace” having Nayte by her side.
Credit: Courtesy of Michelle Young/Instagram
Say Cheese
The Canada native stuck out his tongue for a silly selfie with his future wife in December 2021.
Credit: Courtesy of Michelle Young/Instagram
Happy Holidays
“Santa brought my Christmas present a little early this year 😘 Although he may be regretting it after Nayte REQUESTED to sit on his lap 🎅🏼,” the teacher joked via Instagram while celebrating her first Christmas season as a fiancée in December 2021. “Merry Christmas Y’all! 🎄.”
Credit: Courtesy of Nayte Olukoya/Instagram
Strong Start of 2022
The duo kicked off the new year by sharing several silly snaps and revealing that they sometimes share a toothbrush.
“For those asking … Definitely my toothbrush. Had to snap the milestone in our relationship,” Olukoya wrote via Instagram Stories alongside a snap of Michelle brushing her teeth.
Young subsequently took to Twitter and wrote: “If you see @kingbabatunde94 and I fighting in public it’s because he told the entire world that we occasionally share a toothbrush.”
Credit: Courtesy Michelle Young/Instagram
New Year’s Goals
“Strutting into 2022 after hitting the jackpot feels pretty good 🥰,” the former Bachelorette gushed via Instagram in January 2022 alongside a photo dump of her favorite moments with her fiancé.
Fellow season 25 Bachelor alum Chelsea Vaughn teased in the comments, “🥺 y’all got this on Amazon?!”
Credit: ABC/Christopher Willard
Missing You
After the Texas resident tweeted, “I miss Michelle,” on January 8, his fiancee jokingly replied: “I miss Percy [Olukoya’s dog]. And his dad…A little bit little 🤏.”
Credit: Courtesy of Michelle Young/Instagram (2)
First Trip Together
“There’s nothing better [than Tim Horton’s],” Olukoya told his fiancée via Instagram Story on January 15 upon her first trip to his home country.
Credit: Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
Red Carpet Debut
The engaged couple shared a kiss on the red carpet at a Los Angeles Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin party in February 2022.
Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock; John Salangsang/Shutterstock
Pumping the Brakes?
Olukoya revealed exclusively to Us in February 2022 that he had not moved to Minnesota just yet. “We’re trying to be as smart as possible. We’re looking at different options. We’re definitely feeling it all out,” he explained, while Young chimed in: “We like to make sure that we’re always making very calculated decisions, we’re always looking at all of our options. Yeah, it’ll happen.”
As for their wedding plans, Olukoya noted that they “didn’t put a timeline” on their big day. “We were really talking about the [summer] season, but what I can say is we both have so many friends and family members and just people that we would want to be part of that day, so a pandemic wedding is not something that we’re really looking at,” Young added.
Credit: Courtesy of Nayte Olukoya/Instagram (2)
Playing the Feud
“Life is wild,” Olukoya captioned a March 2022 Instagram Story clip with his love on the set of Celebrity Family Feud. Other members of Bachelor Nation were also there, including Rodney Mathews, Serena Pitt, Joe Amabile and Becca Kufrin.
Credit: Jen Lowery/MEGA
Making the Most of Long Distance
“If we’re not hanging out, we’re texting [or] FaceTiming. We do a lot of movie nights like over FaceTime or Zoom,” Young exclusively told Us in April 2022. “We’ve been making it work. But, he’s been in Minnesota for a little bit now, so it’s been nice.”
In fact, even their dogs are getting used to one another. She added, “Our dogs are getting used to each other. It took a minute for them to kind of get used to [each other]. [My dog] Chief wasn’t a fan of [his pup] Percy. Percy has a little too much energy I would say. But now they’re getting used [to each other] — now they actually bond and they cuddle and they play with each other so it’s been fun to see.”
Credit: Sara Jaye Weiss/Shutterstock; MEGA
Split Speculation
Young took to her Instagram Story to hit back at trolls amid speculation the two had called off their engagement after the reality star was secretly filmed without her engagement ring.
“To the person who is paying close enough attention to catch that moment [on camera], you also have to be paying close enough attention to see one of my good friends briefly remove my engagement ring to try it on and then place it back on my finger,” she shared via the social platform.
Credit: Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
Red Carpet Date Night
After shutting down breakup rumors, the couple stepped out in style at iHeartRadio’s Wango Tango Festival in June 2022, twinning in bold red outfits.
Credit: Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
It’s Over
June 2022 Young announced via her Instagram Stories that she and The Bachelorette season 18 winner called it quits.
“To those who have supported Nayte and I, including Bachelor Nation, I know I speak for both of us when I say having a relationship in the public eye has not been easy,” the Minnesota native wrote via Instagram at the time. “I’m struggling to say Nayte and I will be going our separate ways but I stand with him in knowing the heaviness that is present in both our hearts as this relationship has been very real for both of us.”
She concluded the post by saying she will “always acknowledge and appreciate the adventures, support and growth both Nayte and this experience have brought me,” adding that she will “need some time” to process the heartbreak.
In his own statement the same day, Olukoya stated that “Michelle and I are going to move forward separately” and that “hearts are heavy, emotions are high and we are dealing with this the best we can.”
The former Bachelorette contestant added that both he and Michelle are “very private people,” but they “appreciate” the people who have supported them along the way.
“We are human beings going through a breakup,” he explained. “We’re asking that you allow us privacy so we can mend our hearts in the privacy of our lives.”
Credit: Shutterstock (2)
Throwing Shade
In December 2022, Young commented on a video of Bachelor Nation alums showing off their dance moves. The social media upload featured Olukoya, Justin Glaze, Rodney Matthews and Romeo Alexander.
“1, 2, 3, and 5 left no crumbs 🔥,” she wrote while noticeably not including her ex-fiancé in the mix.
