PHOTOGRAPHY ( THIS PAGE , CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT ): BABY PHOTO @ JAREDHAIBON ON INSTAGRAM ; PARTY AND AUDREY ’ S INTERIOR BY JAMIE COELHO .
FROM TOP : Jared Haibon and baby Dawson . “ The Bachelor ” Season 26 live watch party at Audrey ’ s . The counter at the coffee shop .
The couple welcomed their baby , Dawson Dimitri Brady Haibon , on January 31 , a day before Tom Brady officially announced his retirement from the NFL . This coincidence was ironic for Haibon , who is a diehard New England Patriots and Brady fan ( even though the quarterback ended his career with the Buccaneers , Haibon holds no bad blood ).
“ It was in the marriage vows that [ Ashley ] would move to Rhode Island ... and support me when Tom Brady retires ,” Haibon says , during an interview that took place in November , long before Brady even announced the news . At that time , he was wearing a sweater with the Patriots team name knit across his chest , but Haibon also owns a gaudy T-shirt that is made up of a collage of photos of Brady ’ s face .
By late January , the couple briefly thought about changing their son ’ s name to Brady , but opted for a middle name instead . Hours after the baby was born , Haibon took to Instagram to talk to his own fans who wondered how he was faring after the news of Brady ’ s retirement . Haibon created an expertly edited and emotional video montage of all his favorite moments watching Brady both on the field and from his couch ( along with a clip of those infamous marriage vows ).
“ Tom Brady officially retires literally the day after my son is born . You gotta be kidding me . I ’ m sad , I ’ m trying to put things into perspective obviously ,” Haibon says . “ Brady has been a very important part of my life for twenty years . He was the starting quarterback when I was twelve years old . Now I have a son . This is the closing chapter of my childhood .”
After only a few months into the year , 2022 has already been a complete transition for both Haibon and Iaconetti . They opened Audrey ’ s Coffee House and Lounge . They ’ ve moved into a new home . They just welcomed a new baby . Now Tom Brady has retired , and they ’ ve documented every step on social media . It ’ s almost as if they ’ ve launched a reality spinoff series or a rom-com of their own with a combined 2 million Instagram followers scrolling by to watch their lives unfold .
IIT ’ S THE MONDAY NIGHT premiere of the new “ The Bachelor ” Season 26 in early January , and Bachelor Nation has come out to play at Audrey ’ s . The day-to-night coffee shop has welcomed local fans to a live watch party , and there ’ s a special guest in attendance , Jill Chin from Scituate , Rhode Island , who is a contestant vying for love on the new season . She ’ s schmoozing with fans at the event and getting her first taste of fame .
Haibon and Iaconetti are standing near the shop ’ s fireplace that has a wooden sign hanging over it that says : “ Monday nights we drink wine and watch ‘ The Bachelor .’ Tuesday mornings we drink coffee and recap .” Most of the guests are young women with a few older , diehard-from-thebeginning fans crowding around a large portable movie screen . “ The Bachelor ,” Clayton , is about to meet thirty women exiting limos on the show .
Guests are sitting on couches surrounding the fireplace , some are perched on wooden chairs , and the majority are sitting on the floor or standing while sipping cocktails with one hand and hoisting their phones in the air with the other , recording the couple . Ashley ’ s sister , who also starred on “ Bachelor in Paradise ,” is manning the projector as well as an additional TV on the other side of the room . They ’ re having trouble getting the audio to sync for both TVs , but finally manage to tweak the timing . They kick off the event with a quirky Q-and-A and “ would you rather ?” game to play in between commercial breaks .
Haibon pulls down his mask for a minute while he recites questions from his phone . He asks the crowd , “ Would you rather find love at the ‘ Bachelor ’ mansion or on ‘ Bachelor in Paradise ?’” The crowd rings out in unity . “ Paradise !” “ Would you rather be known as the villain or the crier ?” he says . The crowd is unanimous again . “ The crier !” “ Criers are the best ,” Haibon says , looking fondly over at his wife , who is now eight months pregnant and still working the crowd by posing for selfies and group photos , and answering questions from fans as she circulates around the room . “ I married a crier .”
Iaconetti became famous for bawling her eyes out when she starred on farmer Chris Soules ’
62 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l APRIL 2022