Kaitlyn Bristowe Jason Kempin/Getty Images
Kaitlyn Bristowe is opening up about the “negative attention” she’s been getting amid speculation surrounding her and another member of Bachelor Nation.
After one of her Instagram followers wrote, “Grateful for your light on social media,” Bristowe, 38, admitted she hasn’t felt very light-filled lately. “This actually means a lot to me because I feel like I’ve been drawing a lot of negative attention in lately, and that’s because I’ve been a little bit negative,” Bristowe said via her Instagram Story on Wednesday, January 10.
She added that it’s “such a good reminder” that “if you want to see the light in people and encourage people to be a light, then you have to do that yourself.”
Bristowe’s post came after she made headlines for her connection to The Bachelorette alum Zac Clark. On New Year’s Eve, Bristowe hosted a party at her Nashville home with franchise alums Clark, 39, and Blake Moynes. (Clark left season 16 of the show engaged to Tayshia Adams, but Us Weekly confirmed their split in December 2021. Adams, 33, and Bristowe went on to cohost seasons 17 and 18 of the reality TV series.)
Jason Kempin/Getty Images Kaitlyn Bristowe’s journey to find The One hasn’t been all roses. Bachelor Nation was introduced to Bristowe during season 19 of The Bachelor when she competed for Chris Soules’ heart in 2015. After finishing in third place, Bristowe was in the running to become the next Bachelorette and ultimately beat out Britt […]
In a video from the NYE event, Bristowe had her arm around Clark, which led fans to speculate that she had cheated on ex-fiancé Jason Tartick with him. (Bristowe and Tartick, 35, called off their engagement in August 2023 after four years together.)
When the rumors began to circulate online, Bristowe took to her Instagram Story earlier this month to deny any infidelity.
“You would think by now I’d be used to the hate. I’m not. Your words hurt. Your shaming hurts. Part of me feels a little sad and honestly embarrassed for you guys because this shouldn’t be how you spend day 1 of a new year,” Bristowe wrote via her Instagram Story. “You should not be this invested in someone you don’t even know or respect. It’s actually scary, and I know looking inward might be even scarier for you. But the bullying is next level. You are allowed to have opinions and feelings.”
She continued, “But you don’t even know the truth, and your HATE should actually come with consequences. I truly worry about some of your mental health. It’s not OK. It’s. Not. Please. Please feel ashamed of yourselves for treating someone this way who you don’t know. I did not kill someone. I had a party with some of my favorite people. Shame. On. YOU. Not me.”
Some Bachelor Nation couples hit different. The Bachelor franchise has been matchmaking since 2002. Back in 2003, Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter became the first Bachelor Nation couple to walk down the aisle. The twosome, who met while filming the first season of The Bachelorette, celebrated 19 years of marriage in December 2022. Thank You! […]
In a separate post, Bristowe added, “Here to say that there was never an ounce of cheating happening and I will not stand for this rumor. Y’all are NASTY in here. Anywho. Swear on my dogs lives. No cheating went on. So we can just put that to rest. Thank you!! Happy new year everyone. Go donate some blood or somethin!”
Tartick, for his part, seemingly fueled the rumors by calling January 2 “the first official day of 2024” in a social media post. Later that week, Bristowe called it “really disappointing” the way Tartick was “kind of leaning into the victim mentality.”
“I don’t want to dismiss that he’s hurting,” she said during her “Off the Vine” podcast. “The word ‘disappointment’ keeps coming up. I feel so disappointed that someone could use a false narrative, like, a false narrative accusation to garner sympathy for themselves.”