Bachelorette Star Katie Thurston Makes Head-Turning Accusation
Even without former "Bachelor" host Chris Harrison teasing "the most dramatic season yet," Katie Thurston's run as "The Bachelorette" has been full of tears, heartbreak, and shocking revelations. In particular, the penultimate episode (which aired on August 2) had fans blindsided after frontrunner Greg Grippo opted to leave the show. A quick refresher: after Katie met Greg's family, Greg poured out his heart to Katie, telling her she "filled a hole in [his] heart" from his father's death, and letting her know he loved her and planned to get down on one knee. It seemed like the perfect romantic moment... until Katie failed to match his level of vulnerability. Things spiraled from there, with Greg accusing Katie of being inauthentic and guarded, while he was looking for love and a "real" relationship. In spite of the Bachelorette's pleas, Greg walked out of the Hyatt Regency for good and left Katie crying in the bathroom. Ouch!
The explosive episode left Bachelor Nation divided. "Bachelor" alum Bekah Martinez called Greg's behavior "emotionally manipulative" on Instagram, while former franchise lead Nick Viall sort of placed the blame on the Bachelorette. "Katie once again ... is just like, 'You don't seem happy.' And [Greg] just talked about his father and he's crying ... I didn't understand Katie's response. At all," Nick said on "The Viall Files" podcast.
Meanwhile, Katie herself waded into the fray after the episode by making a head-turning accusation on Instagram. Here's what she said.
Did Greg Grippo gaslight Katie Thurston?
As the Hometowns episode premiered, Katie Thurston took to Twitter to let fans know something was up, writing, "Goodnight Twitter." However, her social media hiatus proved short-lived, as she also shared an Instagram post to her Story (via Us Weekly) that indirectly accused Greg Grippo of gaslighting her. The post featured a carousel of images, with the first slide reading, "So you want to talk about gaslighting." Subsequent slides defined the term and included examples of gaslighting behavior, such as lying, discrediting, and deflecting blame.
Though Greg wasn't tagged in the Instagram story, it was clear that Katie posted it with him in mind. "Bachelorette" co-host Kaitlyn Bristowe — who was on hand to comfort Katie post-breakup — also shared a series of videos to her Instagram Story that brought up the gaslighting debacle. "It's crazy how divided it is between [people supporting] Katie and Greg, that whole situation, which I knew it would be," she said (via People). "There's so many people who could say, 'Oh, wow, Greg was pouring out his heart and Katie didn't know how to respond," she added. "And there's so many people who are like, 'Katie has given him reassurance this whole season and, you know, she was trying to listen in that moment." One thing is clear: although Katie had previously stated that she wouldn't say "'I love you" until the proposal, there are no rules in the game of love.