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Who is ‘The Ultimatum: Queer Love’ host JoAnna Garcia Swisher?

JoAnna Garcia Swisher is no stranger to TV.

Image via Netflix

Fans of the popular Netflix dating show The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On will be happy to know the reality series is getting a spinoff with The Ultimatum: Queer Love set to premier on May 24, 2023. The new show will follow five new couples consisting entirely of women and non-binary partners while maintaining the same premise. In The Ultimatum universe, one partner is more than ready to commit but the other is less sure, and at the end of the eight-week season, they must decide whether to stay together or ultimately end the relationship. The original show was hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, but Netflix has decided to go in another direction for Queer Love, and will feature a new host.

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In order to help give Queer Love its own distinct vibe, Netflix has hired actress JoAnna Garcia Swisher to host the new show (fans of the Lacheys shouldn’t worry too much, as the couple will return to host the second season of Marry or Move On). While this is Swisher’s first hosting gig, she’s made a name for herself as an actress in some beloved TV shows over the years.

JoAnna Garcia Swisher has been acting since the 1990s

After guest starring in several shows in her home state of Florida, Swisher had her first starring role in the Nickelodeon show Are You Afraid of the Dark? as the character Samantha. While still in high school, she would have recurring roles in both Party of Five and cult-favorite Freaks and Geeks. After a brief time in college, Swisher moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting full-time, a move that paid off when she landed the role of Cheyenne Hart-Montgomery on Reba. From 2001 to 2007, she played Reba’s oldest daughter in the sitcom while still finding the time to star in films like Not Another Teen Movie. After Reba wrapped, Swisher would go on to star in the CW series Privileged and had a recurring role in Gossip Girl.

In 2010, Swisher married baseball player Nick Swisher in a location wedding in Florida’s Palm Beach. Swisher enlisted several of her actress friends as her bridesmaids, including Reba co-stars Reba McEntire and Melissa Peterman. The couple has two daughters together.

More recently, Swisher has continued acting and had recurring roles in both Once Upon a Time and The Mindy Project. She currently stars in the Netflix series Sweet Magnolias as Maddie Townsend and as she’s already part of the Netflix family, it makes perfect sense for her to host Queer Love. If you’re a fan of sapphic reality shows (let’s be honest, TV could benefit from more of these), be sure to check out Ultimatum: Queer Love when it premiers May 24.