Former 'Bachelor' lead Nick Viall met his new girlfriend after she slid into his DMs on Instagram

• "Bachelor" star Nick Viall is currently dating surgical technologist Natalie Joy.
• Viall told Insider that they met after Joy sent him a message on Instagram.
• "It was playful enough, and I guess it didn't come across as weird?" he said with a laugh.

Nick Viall is the latest Bachelor Nation alum to find romance via Instagram.

The former "Bachelor" star - who spoke to Insider after announcing the launch of Network Viall Files Media Group, his new podcast network - is currently dating Natalie Joy, a surgical technologist.

Viall revealed that it was Joy who messaged him first on the app.

"It was playful enough, and I guess it didn't come across as weird?" he said with a laugh.

Viall admitted that, at the time, he was unsure about whether he should respond to her first message.

"But thankfully I did," he said. "And it seems to have worked out so far."

Fans have speculated about the couple's relationship since last year, but they didn't go public until 2021

In February, Viall spoke about his girlfriend for the first time on his podcast "The Viall Files" and said he was "super happy."

"It sounds so cheesy, but she does make me want to be better," Viall said of Joy, who he didn't name during the February 8 episode. "Everyone loves her. Without question, everyone likes her more than me. All of my friends."

Viall is no stranger to having his love life in the spotlight. After appearing on "The Bachelorette" in 2015 and 2016 - in which he was the runner-up both times - the reality TV star went on "Bachelor in Paradise" before becoming "The Bachelor" lead in 2017.

While he proposed to contestant Vanessa Grimaldi during the finale, they broke off their engagement five months later.

Viall was later linked to January Jones, revealing that he went on a few dates with the "Mad Men" star after sliding into her DMs on Instagram.

"She went on TV and kind of anecdotally talked about being a fan of 'The Bachelor,' and she brought my name up," Viall said on "Better Together with Maria Menounos" in March. "People thought either she was teasing me or flirting and so, I just DM'd her."

"The first time I knew who January was, I was a kid living in Milwaukee watching 'Mad Men,' and this was like the hottest person I've ever seen," he added. "And then fast forward 10 years later, and I'm on a date."

But Viall told Insider that dating famous women was never a priority for him

"It was a coincidence," he said. "I live in LA and I network with people who are in the public eye. Sometimes it can be a good thing to have someone relate to the type of work you do and sometimes, if you're in too similar of an industry, it can be too competitive."

Viall revealed on his podcast that he loves knowing "nothing about" Joy's career field.

"I couldn't do it. I can't speak to it. I can't even try to sound smart to it," he said. "And that's really quite impressive."

While he's dated "wonderful eligible women" in the past, Viall credits his and Joy's relationship success to their compatibility.

"My current relationship has more to do with how we communicate," he told Insider. "The things about our character that we value the most and how we make each other feel, and how we empathize with our feelings, our insecurities, and things like that."

Viall is the latest Bachelor Nation alum to find romance on social media

Wells Adams, who appeared on JoJo Fletcher's season of "The Bachelorette" in 2016, began dating "Modern Family" star Sarah Hyland after messaging her on Twitter. The couple became engaged in 2019.

And Tyler Cameron, who was the runner-up of Hannah Brown's season of "The Bachelorette" in 2019, briefly dated Gigi Hadid when she followed him on Instagram after the season finale.

Viall will continue to dish on all things love as he expands his podcast brand

Earlier this month, Viall announced that he's launching his own podcast network with Kast Media. The former reality TV star told Insider that he wants to continue growing his brand to include more pop culture and entertainment shows.

Viall is also currently searching for people who could host their own shows under the brand of The Viall Files.

"It's about getting the right people that have strong opinions and interesting points of view, and people who other people enjoy listening to," he added. "There's a lot of talent out there and a lot of interesting people looking for a way to get their platform growing, and I'm hoping to be someone they look to and partner with."