ABC/Craig Sjodin 'Queen' Victoria Larson on a 'Bachelor' group date.
Matt James largely defended Victoria Larson when he was asked about her in his media appearances after the premiere of The Bachelor. But now that the self-dubbed “queen” has been sent home, James has the freedom to be a bit more honest about how he really felt about watching Larson on the show.
And he wasted absolutely zero time doing so.
When episode five of the show was still airing, James sent a tweet that appears as though it was directed at Larson’s actions.
While James never mentioned Larson by name in the tweet (or even uses words at all), he sent it at 8:28 p.m. ET, just as his final one-on-one conversation with Larson was airing on the East Coast. In that talk, James confronted her for referring to contestant Ryan Claytor as a “ho,” which Larson claimed was taken out of context. James responded by asking, “In what context is calling someone a ho acceptable?”
Minutes later, James sent Larson home. It came during an episode that was a reckoning of the bullying culture among contestants on the show. In addition to Larson, James also confronted and sent home Anna Redman. Later in the episode he brought up similar concerns with MJ Snyder.
Matt James Previously Defended Victoria Larson in Interviews
ABC/Craig SjodinVictoria Larson greets Matt James on night one of ‘The Bachelor.’
A lead of The Bachelor has their hands tied a bit when they do interviews while their season airs. They have to navigate a spoilers landmine, which includes avoiding saying anything negative about a contestant still on the show and subsequently spoiling that their time on the show is limited.
So it’s not that surprising that James was singing a much different tune earlier in the season. When he appeared on Bachelor Happy Hour, James went to bat for Larson.
“Victoria is hilarious. She is one of the wittiest people I’ve ever met,” James said. “She’s unapologetically herself. She’s the quickest. You’ll say something and she’s got something, and then she’s out.”
He had to come to her defense again later in January when a video showed one of James’ friends making fun of Larson’s body during a game of golf.
“That’s never something I condone or stand for and it’s just a constant reminder that you got to be smart about the people you surround yourself with,” James said in an appearance on The Real.
Victoria Larson Probably Isn’t Gone for Good
ABC/Craig Sjodin‘Queen’ Victoria Larson speaks with Matt James during a ‘Bachelor’ group date.
Larson’s run as a contestant on The Bachelor is almost certainly through, but she will undoubtedly return for the “Women Tell All” special near the end of the season. After that, it’d be surprising if producers didn’t ask her to return for Bachelor in Paradise.
It’s been a hotspot for the franchise’s previous villains, including even the most toxic ones like Chad Johnson who threatened physical violence against fellow contestants during season 12 of The Bachelorette.
Johnson’s run on Bachelor in Paradise was exceedingly brief and he was sent home in his first episode for his belligerent behavior. Based on history, Larson’s behavior on the latest season of The Bachelor is far from disqualifying in the eyes of producers and she’ll almost certainly be invited to Paradise.
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