The holidays are a time of giving and Katie Thurston's new boyfriend John Hersey is giving Bachelor Nation something to chuckle at: old yearbook photos of the Bachelorette season 17 star from her teenage years. Katie unveiled last week that she and John, a contestant from her season who she eliminated during week 2, are an item. Prior to going public with their relationship, the pair boasted a strong friendship after reconnecting post-production. This familiarity and comfort allows them to poke fun at each other, especially Katie's intense side bangs and hoop earrings.
At the end of her journey to find love, Katie was engaged to Blake Moynes, who also appeared on The Bachelorette season 16 to vie for the hearts of Clare Crawley and Tayshia Adams. But in October, they announced a seemingly mutual split. Fans noticed that John, who Katie adamantly stated was just one of her best friends, was regularly featured on her social media. On the final installment of Katie's "12 Days of Messy," which saw her pair men from her season with Taylor Swift songs, she revealed that they are, in fact, dating by matching him to "Begin Again."
Ever since, Katie and John have been sharing cute and goofy posts that show they're still going strong as a couple. However, Katie may be more cautious of where she keeps certain items moving forward. On his Instagram Story, John recently shared a series of photos from what appears to be Katie's high school yearbooks. The three back-to-back pictures show Katie unenthusiastically smiling while sporting deeply parted side bangs. In one, she's also rocking a pair of large, gold hoop earrings. John captioned the photos, "'Tis the season to bring out old yearbooks and embarrass those closest to you." On her own Instagram Story, Katie reshared the hoop earrings photo with the caption, "When @johnalexhersey finds your yearbooks..."
With so many recent breakups among cast members, including Tayshia Adams and Zac Clark, many fans are happy that Katie found what seems to be a fun, lighthearted relationship. Yet some feel that the posts of Katie and John are disrespectful of Blake, who Katie was engaged to a mere month ago. Katie and John hung out as friends for the duration of her relationship with Blake, which led the Canadian wildlife manager to believe she emotionally cheated. "I feel stupid and foolish for allowing it to happen, I guess, at some degree," he previously stated. Meanwhile, John countered that "we were ALWAYS platonic ... it was never a thought in our mind that we would ever be anything more."
Regardless, it appears that Katie has more of a natural chemistry with John. Despite him putting her high school appearance on full blast for the world to see, the fact that Katie reshared his post shows that she's OK with it. When it comes to how she looks, whether it be her hair or clothes, Katie is fiercely and unapologetically herself. Earlier in the year, she clapped back at followers who tried to give her unsolicited fashion advice. "Anyone who wants to message me about my [side] part or my fashion, or lack thereof, I'm just gonna block you," she said. It's likely that Katie stands by her side bangs and hoop earrings from her teenage years, and wasn't embarrassed at all by John's posts. Still, it must be noted that this Bachelorette has since transitioned to the Gen Z-friendly middle part.
Source: John Hersey/Instagram, Katie Thurston/Instagram