Winner of The Bachelorette season 17 Blake Moynes' mother isn't too happy about Katie Thurston moving on with John Hersey. Blake and Katie confirmed the end of their engagement in October. Soon after, speculation began that Katie and John, another contestant from her season, were more than friends.
The new relationship was seemingly confirmed by the final day of "12 Days Of Messy," where Katie paired her contestants to Taylor Swift songs. For John, Katie posted a video compilation that included their first introduction on the ABC series. The montage was scored to "Begin Again," a song about finding new love after a breakup. By contrast, the San Diego resident's song choice for Blake was "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together." Bachelor Nation went wild over the IG story, with a mix of responses. It's safe to say the responses from Blake's loved ones were on the negative side.
The social media shade was initially reported by Us Weekly. Fan account @Bachelornation.Scoop reposted Katie's story on their IG page. Lots of fans gushed about how happy they were for her. Others swooned over John. But a number were more critical, with commenters questioning the timeline and Katie's maturity. One negative comment, in particular, got a lot of attention and a like from Blake's mother Emily Moynes. “Nah this is terrible on Katie’s part. I feel truly sorry for Blake. In any relationship, you put a sense of ‘trust’ in one another, especially long-distance relationships. There’s no denying the dishonesty and deception for months upon months,” it read. Another person claimed Blake's mom also liked their comment speculating that Katie initiated the breakup while Blake was "all in."
That wasn't the only social media activity Bachelor Nation noticed. Blake, who initially thanked fans for their support amid the breakup, unfollowed his ex after the IG story was posted. Katie also deleted all of her IG photos with Blake, which she still had on her grid a few days ago. Blake and John never interacted on the ABC series. John was eliminated in the second week, whereas Blake showed up in week five. Katie and John's post-season friendship actually started thanks to Bachelor Nation speculation. After noticing they both posted photos from the same restaurant, some thought it meant the 27-year-old won the season. That was proven wrong at the time, but it allowed them to reconnect. The friendship began while Katie was still with Blake, and she thanked John for being supportive in the aftermath of her breakup.
Like Katie, John is also based in San Diego. Their shared location is what lead to that (ultimately correct) relationship speculation. Meanwhile, distance was reportedly a big factor behind Katie and Blake's split. Shortly before it was announced, Katie admitted to feeling lonely when Blake was away. In her time as The Bachelorette, Katie was always unapologetically herself. She didn't hide her most vulnerable emotions and was determined the show would give her a happily ever after. Fans will have to wait and see if John turns out to be just that. Meanwhile, Blake could bounce back in Bachelor Nation, perhaps even on his own season.
The Bachelorette airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Source: Us Weekly, Bachelornation.Scoop/Instagram