Bachelorette’s Shawn Booth Is Going to Be a Dad

Five years after his engagement to season 11 Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe ended, Shawn Booth is letting Bachelor Nation back into his personal life –— revealing that he’s going to be a dad.

“I’ve dated since the show. I’ve dated a bunch of people. I’ve had a girlfriend. … I’ve always just kept things very private,” Booth, 37, began on his “In the Booth With Shawn Booth” podcast on Monday, July 17.

After teasing “a very big announcement,” Booth revealed he’s “going to be a dad.”

“December 12, baby Booth on their way,” he continued. “It’s happening. I’m gonna be a father. The mother is somebody who I’ve been close with for years. We’ve had a relationship and we’ve dated. This just isn’t some random girl I met at Honky Tonk Central. This is a big surprise for the both of us. [To be] open and honest, this wasn’t something that was planned. But it will be and is the most beautiful surprise I’ve ever had in my life. And it’s gonna be very special. I can’t wait. I’m ready. I’m 37 years old. I’ve always wanted to be a dad.”

While Booth didn’t name names, he added that he’s hopeful the mother of his child will come on the podcast “soon” if “she’s up for it.” He also revealed that she is 18 weeks along and they aren’t finding out the sex of the baby until the birth.

“Going through pregnancy, and trying to, like, keep it under wraps is obviously tricky. We didn’t tell really anybody. … She told, like, her close family and friends,” he said. “I waited, probably, 10 to 12 weeks to tell really anybody. … Just [a] couple weeks ago, she started coming back to [my] gym. I was like, ‘Come back to the gym. Get in there, like, let’s not worry about what anybody says.’ And Nashville is a small town. People talk, and so [I] got her to come back to the gym and yeah, after that, then everybody in Nashville knew pretty much.”

Booth went on to gush about the mother of his baby, who has agreed to “incorporate both” of their last names when their child is born.

“She’s going to be such a good mother. And it’s going to be incredible. It’s very overwhelming,” he said. “And it’s also tough, too, for the dad because it takes a while to really fully grasp that you’re having a kid — your body’s not changing, you’re not dealing with all the hormones, and you want to, like, as much as you can, help out. But you also can’t really do anything. … So she’s been an absolute champ, a rock star through it all.”

Booth concluded that it’s been “a wild, wild ride” for him, noting that he has “not lived a traditional life.”

“And this is not a traditional route,” he said. “I’m sure there will be a lot of people [who] have thoughts and opinions and all that. And I think now probably more than ever, I’ve gotten to a point where I’m like, ‘I don’t care what anybody thinks.’ If they’re like,’ you’re not married.’ … It’s like, ‘Listen, that’s not what’s important here.’”