Former ‘Bachelorette’ Lead Appears to Shade Her Season Runner-Up

Heavy Kaitlyn Bristowe and Nick Viall got snarky on social media.

A former star from “The Bachelorette” recently seemed to dish out a bit of shade toward one of her previous suitors. The apparent dig, however, came after he appeared to take a shot as well. Kaitlyn Bristowe and her runner-up, Nick Viall, had seemingly been on pretty good terms in recent years. That may no longer be the case, though, after these recent comments.

Here’s what you need to know:

Nick Viall & Kaitlyn Bristowe Seemed to Take Swipes at One Another

On February 15, Bristowe took to Instagram to share several photos. In the geotag of the post, she noted she was in Maui, Hawaii, and subsequent social media posts indicated she was there to attend a wedding.

Bristowe wore a black one-piece swimsuit that was a high-cut, thong style. “The Bachelorette” star added sunglasses and a hat and posed for several selfies in her hotel room.

In her caption, Bristowe wrote, “Aloha to everyone except for people who make fun of my sexuality for likes.”

While she did not name Viall, the comment definitely seemed directed toward him.

On February 7, Bristowe’s ex-fiance Jason Tartick shared a photo on Instagram that Viall commented on. The photo Tartick shared showed him posing on the beach with fellow “Bachelorette” star Tyler Cameron. The two men were shirtless, wearing just swim trunks, as they held surfboards by their sides.

“Nothing asexual about this,” Viall commented.

Viall’s comment came just one day after Bristowe had talked about feeling asexual in a prior relationship.

During her February 6 “Off the Vine” podcast, Bristowe shared with guest Stassi Schroeder she was feeling her sex drive returning. When Schroeder asked if she had previously lost it, Bristowe admitted, “Oh yeah, it was gone. I thought I was asexual, I literally thought I was asexual” at the end of her relationship.

Bristowe added that at the time, she thought to herself, “I think at this point, I’m, I could see myself more with a woman. I actually thought that.”

This was not the first time “The Bachelorette” star had referred to her sexuality during a podcast. In May 2023, Bristowe opened up about her sexuality on the “Out & About” podcast.

She said she had told people close to her she was bisexual, before ever joining Chris Soules’ season of “The Bachelor.” However, she revealed, Bristowe said she was told by a show psychologist not to tell producers.

Viall did not reference Bristowe or her podcast comments. The timing and wording of his comment on Tartick’s post certainly suggested a connection, though.

Bachelor Nation Quickly Took Sides

Viall’s comment on Tartick’s post garnered nearly 2,000 “likes” and over 100 comments.

“Best comment ever,” one Instagram user replied.

“I see what you did there 👀,” another commenter added.

Bristowe’s post, the caption of which seemed a dig at what Viall had written, received over 800 comments. Many of the comments were from people who didn’t know about the apparent drama. Some “Bachelorette” fans, however, clearly did.

“No one likes Nick. Not now, not then. Dude should apologize,” one of Bristowe’s fans wrote.

“Nicks comment was 🔥 genius! Why do you let everything bother you, just live your life and stop addressing everything,” countered someone else.

Several others made comments suggesting Viall “never stays in his lane,” that he “always has the worst ‘takes,’ so entitled and self centered,” and that his comment was quite the take coming from “That guy who claims to be a feminist.”

Someone else who had Bristowe’s back commented, “Thanks for your vulnerability, even when trolls be trolling…🧌 Being a mediocre white man is hard, so something has to make him interesting. Take it as a compliment and keep slaying. 🙌”