ABC Katie Thurston had a memorable introduction to Matt James on The Bachelor season premiere.
Fans of The Bachelor only know Katie Thurston so far as the woman who couldn’t be without her vibrator for more than 30 seconds at any given time in the season premiere, but avid TikTok users have known Thurston for a while.
Thurston, 30, has amassed over 200,000 followers on the app and over 1.4 million likes. The most watched TikTok was posted in July 2020 and shows Thurston talking about having sex with ghosts and her childhood crush on Casper the Friendly Ghost.
“Be honest, who’s masturbating more than they normally do? I swear there was a day where I did it three times, just because I was bored and I could,” Thurston says in the clip. “It’s like when you’re hungry and you open the fridge throughout the day, but it’s like the same stuff is in there. It’s not any better, but you just keep doing it. Like I’m literally getting tired of getting off on my own.
“In fact, I went to PornHub for the first time. That was an experience. I’ll save that for another video. But yeah, last night my phone fell off the nightstand by itself. And so my first thought was, ‘That was a f****** ghost.’ And then literally my second thought was, ‘I wonder if ghosts can have sex?’ Like if this ghost wanted to f*** me, like I would let him or her like, whatever you’re a ghost, I don’t care. It’d be the most action I’ve had in months.
“I was like, ‘Where does this stem from?’ And then I remembered Casper. Casper was the first movie where I started feeling like tingly feelings over a cartoon.”
Viewers Have Mixed Reactions to Thurston’s Sex Positive Attitude
ABC’s decision to open its season with Thurston showing her vibrator didn’t come without deliberation. Network executive Robert Mills revealed on Twitter that there was a “big debate with broadcast standards” over what could and couldn’t be said on national television.
@laurenzima @chrisbharrison @mattjames919 @fleissmeister Vibrator was always fine. Dildo was a debate
Thurston’s entrance wasn’t just controversial for the network, viewers have been split on what they thought about her introduction.
the girl who just showed up to the bachelor with a vibrator is my personal hero
Me: Turns on The Bachelor
Girl on The Bachelor: Gives Matt her vibrator
Me: Turns off The Bachelor
#TheBachelor
Thoughts from today’s episode of the Bachelor, we already hate Kit, Victoria and the girl who showed up with the vibrator
What really mattered was whether or not James liked it, though. He told Refinery29 that he approved.
“It was a great icebreaker!” James told Refinery29. “It takes a lot of balls to do something like that. She’s super confident and I respected it. I wasn’t upset about it.”
Thurston’s risque TikTok topics will probably strengthen those opinions, regardless if they’re positive or negative.
Thurston Hasn’t Been Scared to Talk Politics Either
Many cast members of The Bachelor — including James, himself — shared their thoughts on the recent mob raid of the United States Capitol. Other prominent Bachelor Nation members with well over a million Instagram followers each like Hannah Brown, Tyler Cameron, and Peter Weber kept their opinions to themselves.
Thurston has never been scared to talk what she thinks about the current state of the world.
When a user on Instagram criticized her for talking politics, Thurston replied, “If you’re expecting detox teas and an aesthetically pleasing pics, I’m not the girl for you.”
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