ABC/Craig Sjodin Katie Thurston's season of The Bachelorette will premiere on June 7.
Was Reality Steve wrong about who the next Bachelorette is going to be? On March 3, Reality Steve took to Twitter to double down on his spoiler about the new Bachelorette star, confirming that it’s Katie Thurston.
“The more things change, the more they stay the same. The original spoiler I reported seems to be correct. Katie Thurston is set to be announced as the ‘Bachelorette’ in the coming days,” he tweeted. However, the news has yet to be confirmed in any capacity.
Some fans were quick to notice that Katie had been silent on social media for a few days. At least one person suggested that it was because she was in Los Angeles for the After the Final Rose taping. Speculation was building around an announcement, but it just never came. In fact, Reality Steve hasn’t said a word about it since, which suggests he wasn’t given solid intel about what went down during the taping.
Now, fans are wondering if Katie is even going to be handing out roses on the new season. She has returned to social media, but her actions seem to suggest that she’s actually not the person who was chosen, or, if she was, perhaps she turned the offer down.
Here’s what you need to know:
Katie Posted a Sweet Message to the Women on Matt James’ Season
On March 5, the day that After the Final Rose was supposedly taping in Los Angeles, Katie took to her Instagram account to share the photo above. She dedicated the post to all of the women on Matt James‘ season of The Bachelor, and said she was “forever thankful” to have met “So many great women” through the show.
She went on to say that they “closed a chapter,” which could simply refer to the end of The Bachelor, or it could suggest the end of the franchise in a more general sense. She also made a comment about moving “forward,” which seems to be a theme within the franchise as of late. Not only has Rachel Lindsay said that she wants to move forward following her interview with the franchise’s host Chris Harrison, but Harrison has also been involved in “moving forward” discussions.
Katie’s post is sort of Bachelorette-like, and it could be her way of being a leader, which she showcased a few times on Matt’s season, especially during her sit-down with Sarah Trott.
The comments section quickly filled with support for Katie, with many people writing things like “Katie for Bachelorette.”
Katie’s Other Social Media Actions Suggest She’s Not the Next ‘Bachelorette’
Katie hasn’t been too shy about addressing the rumors that she’s the next Bachelorette, but whether or not that’s by design remains to be seen. As previously reported by Heavy, Katie took to her Instagram story a few weeks ago — after Reality Steve first claimed that she was the next Bachelorette — and captioned a photo, “reading my texts today like news to me.”
In recent days, Katie has showcased similar behavior. Someone with the Twitter account @justposa tweeted, “I’m just going to pretend that each day @VentWithKatie doesn’t tweet, it’s because she’s the next Bachelorette, and not because she’s ‘being smart by taking a break from this hellscape.'”
Katie comment on the photo with the side eyes emoji, and added, “uhh.”
A quick peek at the “likes” section of Katie’s Twitter, and there seems to be even more evidence that she isn’t the next Bachelorette. Not only did she like a tweet that was “Team Michelle” (for Matt’s choosing), but she also liked the tweet below, which calls for one of the “remaining BIPOC women” on Matt’s season to become the next Bachelorette.
To throw in another confusing tidbit, Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss follows Katie on Twitter. He does not appear to be following other women from Matt’s season, including Serena Pitt and Abigail Heringer.
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