Golden Bachelorette’s Jonathan Rone Met Girlfriend Michelle on a Dating App

The Golden Bachelorette alum Jonathan Rone first crossed paths with his girlfriend, Michelle Zimmermann, online.

“So Joan [Vassos] didn’t keep me along for the hometown visits, and so I came back to Iowa with my tail between my legs, so to speak,” Rone, 62, said on the Wednesday, January 22, episode of the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast. “I started this whole journey looking for love and so when I came back, I was a little dejected, and so I kind of eventually went back online and I was just swiping and looking and then I came across Michelle’s pictures and she eventually contacted me. We connected. It’s been a beautiful thing so far.”

Rone gushed that Zimmermann’s “first words” to him on the app “made my heart warm,” but remained tight-lipped on the exact message.

“She said something about my eyes. She could tell something about my eyes was warm and kind, or something along that line,” he recalled. “That let me know that she just wasn’t looking at … we made an eye connection. The eyes are a connection to your soul.”

When asked what dating app he was on, Rone replied, “Let’s just say I was stung by a bee. Bumble.” Rone explained that he connected with Zimmermann when she was in the Midwest, where he is located.

After cohost Kathy Swarts asked whether Rone and Zimmermann had plans to move in together, he replied, “You’re moving fast, aren’t you?”

Rone gushed that his girlfriend of six months “definitely” stole his heart. “I truly am happy. I mean, she’s a wonderful woman. She has a wonderful spirit. She has a playfulness that I think we both connect on and we just have fun with each other,” Rone said. “That’s what I love about it.”

While gathering with fellow contestants from The Golden Bachelorette, Rone revealed during the November 2024 Men Tell All episode that he moved on with a new woman.

“I just wanted to say thank you for the opportunity,” Rone told Vassos, 62, who is engaged to winner Chock Chapple, during the episode. “I mean, I wouldn’t be here, I wouldn’t have started the journey if it wasn’t because of you. And so I just kind of wanted to give an update that on this journey that I have met someone and the most important thing about that is that I’m happy.”

Days later, Jonathan got candid about his connection with Zimmermann. “‘So I Dropped The Bomb’… I started my journey looking for love, a love that is a forever love. A love I thought I once had but this was my second chance! So, I went all in with no walls to protect my vulnerability! I had no other intentions than that!” he wrote via Instagram. “This journey can be full of expectations but the unexpected happened and ‘The Bomb’ is the second chance I’ve been looking for! I am so grateful for all the of the support and kind words from all you in the Bachelor Nation! I’m happy to say that Michelle is truly ‘My Bomb❤️.’”