As Greg Grippo continues to be called a gaslighter and narcissist on social media following his dramatic departure from The Bachelorette, Connor Brennan is sticking up for his bestie. Ever since Monday's episode aired, Greg has been in hot water with the majority of fans. They didn't like how he treated Katie when she didn't return his outpouring of love, and felt he only appeared on the show to boost his acting career. However, Connor, whom Greg formed a tight bond with while filming in New Mexico, believes there's more to the story.
The bromance of Connor and Greg had Bachelor Nation swooning throughout the season. A highlight was when the two contestants were spotted cuddling on the couch, with Greg's arms wrapped around Connor. Now many viewers no longer think Greg is such a sweet guy. At the end of his hometown date, which went extremely well, he expressed his deep feelings for Katie, who didn't reciprocate them like he anticipated. Their conversation the next morning went in endless circles as Katie attempted to explain herself (she doesn't want to use the word "love" until there's one man left), but Greg didn't accept what he felt were surface-level answers. A number of fans saw his actions as toxic, while others felt Katie was cold toward him.
With heated conversations about the episode still unfolding on social media, Connor tried to play devil's advocate in support of his friend. He tweeted, "Relationships are nuanced. Breakups are nuanced. Sometimes there's not a good guy or a bad guy. Sometimes cameras and tweets can't accurately capture the complexity of real life. Kindness is free, love is complicated." Connor also tweeted and then deleted the message, "There was no gaslighting in this episode, there was a fight between two people that you saw maybe 20 percent of." While some of Connor's followers completely agreed with him, stating that both Greg and Katie made mistakes, others dragged him for ignoring what they felt was emotional abuse.
Not all of Greg's former housemates are advocating for him. John Hersey, whom fans were sad to see sent home so early, shared a lengthy post on his Instagram Story that seems to be very much about Connor. John said he was "shocked" by Greg's behavior and expressed dismay that people took his side: "It should be noted that an individual can be a good friend to some while simultaneously being harmful to others in another relationship; friendship cannot be an excuse to blindly defend someone's behavior." He added that contestants must hold each other accountable moving forward.
Neither Katie nor Greg has yet to release an official statement on the situation. Though Katie did share a post about gaslighting on her Instagram Story, Greg's activity on social media remains nonexistent. Fans of The Bachelorette are anxious to see if they interact during next week's After The Final Rose, which will surely be an intense encounter. They're also curious to know how Katie's journey to find love concludes. Blake Moynes and Justin Glaze are both husband material, but if she can't get past Greg's blowup, neither stands a chance at getting down on one knee.
The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8pm on ABC.
Sources: Connor Brennan/Twitter, John Hersey/Instagram