After two seasons of The Bachelorette and his own season of The Bachelor, Nick Viall has found love with Natalie Joy.
The couple were first linked by fans in 2019, but speculation about their relationship didn’t start heating up until 2020. Shortly after the pair first went public, Viall admitted in February 2021 that they met after Joy slid into his Instagram DMs.
“It was very romantic,” he joked during an episode of his podcast. “We kind of kept hanging out, and she finally got to a point where she was like, ‘I want to date,’ and I was kind of like, ‘I don’t know.’ … She just was like, ‘OK, this is what I want. It’s fine, no big deal, but I’m gonna go do my thing,’ and she did, and I was like, ‘What?!’ … She went and showed me exactly what I’d be missing.”
A source exclusively told Us Weekly at the time that the pair’s relationship is “very real,” adding, “They’re pretty much inseparable. You can say she practically lives with him because she’s at his house that much.”
Viall and Joy announced their engagement via social media in January 2023, followed by another milestone that summer: Joy’s pregnancy. Their daughter, River Rose, was born in February 2024.
Keep scrolling to see the full timeline of Viall and Joy’s romance:
June 2020
During an episode of her "Almost Famous" podcast, Ashley Iaconetti hinted that she knew Viall was dating someone who wasn't part of Bachelor Nation. “I have an idea but if he hasn’t said anything about who it is then I’m not saying anything,” the Bachelor in Paradise alum said at the time.
September 2020
Several months before the couple went public, Joy posted a series of photos via Instagram with the caption, "Happiest I've eva been."
October 2020
The pair wore coordinating Halloween costumes — Superman for him, Lois Lane for her — but never shared any photos of themselves together. "Fingers crossed I see Superman tonight," the Georgia native captioned an Instagram photo of herself dressed as Lois.
January 2021
The duo went Instagram official when Joy posted an Instagram Story of herself trying to kiss Viall as he played a video game using virtual reality goggles. "You're freaking me out," he told her in the cute clip.
February 2021
On Valentine's Day, the Wisconsin native shared a photo of the couple wearing plaid jackets. "If you’re not willing to wear matching outfits you’re not really in love," he wrote via Instagram.
February 2021
The couple made their awards show debut at the Golden Globes, where Viall hosted the official preshow.
March 2021
Viall commemorated International Women's Day by posting an Instagram photo of his love. "Women endure so much, least of all, laughing at the stupid things we men say," he wrote. "Happy #internationalwomensday to all the amazing women out there."
May 2021
The Dancing With the Stars alum shared a photo from the twosome's Hawaii vacation with the caption, "Hot girl summer."
May 2021
The pair walked the red carpet at the MTV Movie & TV Awards, which in 2021 debuted Unscripted, a second night of awards dedicated to reality TV.
May 2021
"Genuinely happy," Viall wrote via Instagram, captioning a photo of the duo enjoying a day at the beach.
June 2021
The couple kicked off the summer wedding season by jetting off to Mexico together. “I doubted his dance moves and was completely showed up,” Joy captioned a sunset photo with her man. Viall, for his part, joked, “This relationship has escalated to weddings.”
June 2021
Viall teased that he is now a “family man” when introducing fans to his and Joy’s new puppy, Jeff.
July 2021
“Celebrating 1 year ish, by visiting the hotel where it all started,” the reality star wrote via Instagram at the Williamsburg Hotel in New York City. “Thankful for every moment I have with you @nnataliejjoy❤️.”
July 2021
Viall revealed on Dear Media's "Not Skinny But Not Fat" podcast that after his split from Vanessa Grimaldi, he "made a conscious decision to not in any way, shape or form, romantically or otherwise, be involved with anyone from Bachelor Nation."
He added, "Some people would hang out and be like, 'I think we should get together.' And I'm like, 'Listen, you seem great, but I literally don't date anyone in Bachelor Nation.'"
September 2021
Joy gushed about Viall on his 41st birthday in September 2021.
“This man!!!! you are one of the best ones and anyone who’s met you knows it too. I am so lucky to not only share this life with you but to love you, and to be loved by you,” she gushed. “You flipped my whole world upside down and given every dream and goal a new meaning and purpose. your sense of humor, honesty, generosity, talent, creativity, drive, heart and passion just blows my mind. cherishing your existence forever!! you tear every single fariytale [SIC] to shreds. happy birthday baby i love you like nothing else!!”
In the comments section, Viall thanked his love, writing, “Thanks for liking me. Love you ❤️❤️.”
November 2021
“The band didn’t play ‘Single Ladies,’ but it didn’t stop everyone from singing, ‘If you like it then you better put a ring on it’ to me,” Viall captioned a series of romantic snaps via Instagram with Joy at Ben Higgins’ wedding.
November 2021
The duo spent Thanksgiving in Savannah, Georgia. "I too got my peach in Georgia," Viall quipped in an Instagram caption.
March 2022
“Celebrating you has been the best part of my life #nationalwomensday,” Viall wrote via Instagram, honoring his girlfriend on National Women’s Day.
Joy commented on the photo, “Eternally grateful for your existence I love you.”
June 2022
The pair attended the MTV Movie & TV Awards one year after making their red carpet debut at the event.
July 2022
During an episode of "The Viall Files" podcast, Joy defended her boyfriend in response to Katie Thurston's comments about him.
"It really got me when I get tagged in a cute little TikTok reel on Instagram of Ms. Katie Thurston speaking about Nick. I watch it and I was just very confused because [it starts off] with someone asking, 'Why does Nick Viall hate you?' And she says, 'Nick Viall is blocked from my phone.' Like she has some sort of reason to block Nick," the model explained at the time. "I know for a fact that Nick has only ever tried to help her and give her advice. Which she has never taken."
The Maryland native added: "I think she is platforming a lie, and I think we need to show the truth."
August 2022
"I'm very grateful for the relationship I have with Natalie," the podcaster exclusively told Us, noting that he didn't feel pressured to pop the question. "[I'm] really excited [about] the direction it's going and the pace in which it's going. We often talk about, you know, our future together and our relationship and, you know, I'm not trying to [rush]. I don't think either of us [is] trying to get ahead of ourselves, but we're definitely grateful for the direction it's going. ... Stay tuned."
September 2022
Joy posted a video montage of Viall in honor of his 42nd birthday, soundtracked with the song "Sweet Creature" by Harry Styles. "To the man that deserves the world — happy birthday," she wrote via Instagram. "I love you." Viall replied in the comments, writing: "I love you more than pizza."
October 2022
“We have our differences but we make it work,” Viall captioned an Instagram snap of their Halloween costume, in which they portrayed Jessica and Roger Rabbit.
January 2023
The pair walked the red carpet together at ESPN and College Football Playoff's Allstate Party at the Playoff event in Los Angeles.
January 2023
The lovebirds announced they were engaged via a joint Instagram post.
“For the rest of my life, it’s you,” they captioned a handful of sweet snaps from their engagement shoot, which included Joy pretending to lick the former Bachelor’s face and Viall kissing her hand.
January 2023
"We're definitely anxious to get married," the former reality star told E! News. "We definitely didn't get engaged to have a long engagement, so it's been great. It's exciting."
The soon-to-be husband and wife were already looking into making arrangements for their big day. "Last night, we just started talking about how we should start making a list," he explained. "Everyone tells us, 'You've got to find the venue.' For me, it's an excitement level, but I've been told that if you can find that, it gets a lot easier. But that's the big hurdle. So now I'm excited to figure that out. It is intimidating.
May 2023
The former reality star recalled during an appearance on “The Squeeze” podcast that he was hesitant to date Joy due to their 18-year age gap. "We started messaging [online], and I carded her," Viall confessed. “I wanted to make sure she was a real person.”
He explained: "The age at the time, I was very self-conscious about. I was very guarded.”
Joy, for her part, was confident about the relationship from their first in-person meeting, which took place in New York City. “I knew after that weekend, I was like, ‘I’m going to spend the rest of my life with this man.’ And I knew it and he didn’t,” she told listeners. “So I was like, ‘I’m just going to hang on because he’ll come around.’ So I asked him several times to date me.”
August 2023
"Our biggest dream came true," the couple wrote via Instagram while announcing Joy's pregnancy, sharing a sonogram and more maternity photos.
February 2024
The pair welcomed their first baby, a daughter. "River Rose Viall 🤍 2-2-2024 named after Natalie’s great grandmother and niece...the best part of life starts now 🦢🕊️☁️💗," read the caption of an Instagram slideshow.
April 2024
The duo said "I do" in a wedding ceremony at her family’s 300-acre farm in Georgia.
