Bachelor Nation
What Happened to ‘The Bachelorette’s Emily Maynard & Jef Holm? Their Relationship Today
Just over 13 years ago, Emily Maynard began her journey on Season 8 of The Bachelorette, where she ultimately fell in love with Jef Holm and got engaged at the final rose ceremony. Fans fell in love with Maynard on Season 15 of The Bachelor, and when she ended her engagement to Brad Womack just months after the finale, they were rooting for her to find love again.
Maynard came to Bachelor Nation as a single mother following the death of her fiancé, Ricky Hendrick, in a plane crash. Sadly, she didn’t find her forever partner in Holm, as they ended their engagement in October 2012, just three months after the finale of The Bachelorette Season 8 aired.
What happened to the former couple, and where do they stand now? Scroll down for a refresh.
What happened between Emily Maynard and Jef Holm?
Maynard and Holm released separate statements to announce their October 2012 split after just five months together. “I am sorry to tell you that Jef and I have, indeed, parted ways,” Maynard told People. “It was a very difficult and heartbreaking decision.”
She continued, “As you know, at first I wasn’t sure that I should even be the Bachelorette, but I am a hopeless romantic and I do believe in the show. I have no regrets because I did find love and shared an incredible journey with a really special person – and you know what, we tried our best because the love between us was so real. I have nothing but respect and love for Jef and his family, but ultimately we are just at different points in our lives.”
In his statement, Holm added, “Meeting Emily on The Bachelorette was an incredible experience, we’ve had quite the journey. I’ve never loved someone so much in my whole life, Emily is the best person and mom I have ever met. She opened up her world to me and I fell in love with her, [her daughter] Ricki, her family, and the Hendricks. She has a great group of people who surround her. What we shared was completely genuine and real, and it breaks my heart, but we have decided to break up.”
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He added that he has no regrets about the time he spent with Maynard or her daughter. “They both have been a huge part of my life,” Holm continued. “Who knows what tomorrow will bring but we are moving on to the next chapter of our lives. Emily and I are great friends, and I hope we can continue to be friends forever. Everyone wants a salacious story to break, but the truth is we are just two people who fell in love and tried our hardest to make it work. I will always love her.”
Prior to the breakup, Holm’s brother Mike claimed that Maynard was unfaithful and that Holm found out after seeing her text messages during a family vacation in August 2012. “I can tell you that it’s all 100% true,” Mike alleged to Us Weekly. “I was there and I heard the fight and watched the whole thing go down, Emily leaving and everything. I love my brother very much and, like the rest of our family, I just want him to be happy.”
However, Maynard told People that the rumors were “100% not true,” adding, “I have never been more in love or felt more confident about our relationship. We’re so excited about the future and to be back in Charlotte and things are actually happening — looking at places to live and going to school. I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”
What happened to Emily Maynard?
Despite the breakup, Maynard did end up finding love again. She married Tyler Johnson in 2014 after a year and a half of dating. Maynard first met Johnson at church before she went on The Bachelorette but said he put her in the “friend zone.” However, they ended up reconnecting after she and Holm called off their engagement.
Maynard and Johnson went on to have five children together. Their first son, Jennings, was born in July 2015, followed by son Gibson in September 2016, son Gatlin in November 2017, daughter Magnolia in October 2020, and son Jones in August 2022.
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Three months after Jones’ birth, Maynard revealed that he has Down syndrome.
“Tyler, you are the single greatest gift to me in my lifetime and I can’t believe that I get to call you mine,” Maynard gushed on Instagram in April 2025. “You’re truly the best. The best dad. The best husband. The best person. We’ve been through so much together already and I can’t wait to see what else God has in store for our family. I love you! Happy Next Year You’re 40 Birthday!”
What is Jef Holm doing now?
For the most part, Holm has kept out of the spotlight since splitting from Maynard. However, he did make headlines for two big reasons in recent years.
In 2020, Holm confirmed that he was dating Too Hot to Handle star Francesca Farago. The romance was in the “early stages” in September of that year, with Holm telling E!, “We’ve been hanging out and getting to know each other. She’s a great person inside and out and we have a lot in common. I definitely have a crush on her.”
The two met through mutual friends and decided to take things slow. However, they eventually went their separate ways, and Farago is now engaged to transgender TikToker Jesse Sullivan.
In August 2021, Holm was granted a restraining order against fellow Bachelor Nation alum Robby Hayes.
“The simple version is I invited Robby into my house that I was renting in Venice, which I am now in the process of purchasing. I allowed him to live there rent free for years as a friend,” Holm told E! “When the living situation became hostile I asked him to leave and he refused. It went on like this for months, eventually I had to take legal action. It’s sad because I didn’t want it to end like this. Hopefully tensions will die down and the temporary restraining order can be dropped. I just want to move on and I wish him the best.”
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The restraining order was dismissed by the end of that month after Holm didn’t show up in court for the hearing. “Tensions died down as I had hoped,” he said. “I haven’t seen any reason to continue with the restraining order, so I dropped it.”
After it was dropped, Hayes slammed Holm. “It’s no wonder that Jef Holm didn’t show up in court to defend his false accusations, perjury would inevitably follow,” Hayes alleged, per Us Weekly. “Jef Holm completely disregards other peoples [sic] feelings, well-being or the consequences of his actions. I just want to be able to feel comfortable in my own home without feeling like I can’t leave my room for concern of my own safety.”
