‘The Bachelorette’: Katie Thurston Reveals She Slid Into a Bachelor Nation Contestant’s DMs in 2016
Katie Thurston is leading her own season of The Bachelorette, but turns out, she messaged a Bachelor Nation contestant years ago on Instagram. The newest lead shared what message she sent and who she sent it to ahead of the premiere of her season.
What is ‘The Bachelorette’ 2021 premiere date?
Katie’s season of The Bachelorette premieres on Monday, June 7 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Her season comes after a shakeup in Bachelor Nation — with Chris Harrison stepping down as host. Furthermore, Katie’s season will be the first of two seasons of The Bachelorette, with Michelle Young leading the next one.
Katie Thurston revealed she slid into Kaitlyn Bristowe’s DMs on Instagram in 2016 following the backlash she received
Katie showed a screenshot on Instagram of a direct message she sent to Kaitlyn Bristowe on Oct. 22, 2016. She messaged the former lead of The Bachelorette after she had been receiving backlash from the public.
“Dearest Beautiful Kaitlyn — I saw a picture reshared on IG of you crying and it broke my heart,” she started, per Reddit. “I’ve never messaged someone I didn’t know, let alone, someone as popular as yourself, but woman to woman, I felt like I needed to reach out.”
“I want you to know you are beautiful both inside and out,” Katie continued. “”You’ve been my favorite and I enjoyed watching your journey and seeing glimpses of it now.”
She apologized that people were being “cruel” to her: “You sparkle and people can be jealous. There is nothing to gain by bringing someone down unless it’s only to make one feel better about themselves.”
“They don’t have the confidence to feel beautiful so they have to tear down someone else,” she concluded. “From one woman to another, stay strong. Don’t let them take off your crown. The storm will pass and you will have your rainbow.”
Katie Thurston reflected on her message to Kaitlyn Bristowe ahead of ‘The Bachelorette’ premiere
Now, Kaitlyn is co-hosting Katie’s season of The Bachelorette alongside Tayshia Adams. And after Kaitlyn and Tayshia helped her on her journey, Katie reflected on the messages she sent Kaitlyn all those years ago.
“My first ever message to @KaitlynBristowe was back in 2016,” Katie said. “Life has now come full circle with her helping me along the way during my struggles and sadness. Always been a believe of women supporting women. I’m excited for you all to see what that looks like — starting tonight!”
Katie’s season will be unique in that she will be receiving guidance and help from two women who have been in her shoes before. Both Kaitlyn and Tayshia had their own sets of challenges while leading their own seasons, and will undoubtedly help Katie with her own choices. We can’t wait to see how the new additions benefit the lead and her process.
The Bachelorette premieres on ABC on Monday, June 7 at 8 p.m. ET.
