Katie Thurston is asking the fans in advance to be kind to all the men she'll be meeting and dating on The Bachelorette season 17. It wasn't that long ago that Katie was dealing with a lot of major drama during Matt James' season of The Bachelor. There's no denying that her experience filming that season was pretty intense and took a toll on her mental health. Once the season actually aired, the fans were also shocked by what they saw.
In fact, a big reason why Katie Thurston was picked to lead this upcoming season of The Bachelorette is exactly because of how she dealt with her co-stars who were bullying others and lying to Matt James' face. As we get closer and closer to Katie's Bachelorette, the lead is already taking the time to ask Bachelor Nation to "stay kind" once the season starts. There was a lot of turmoil during and after Matt's season of The Bachelor, and no one wants to live through that experience again.
This week, Katie Thurston took to Instagram to share a post (seen below) about how she sees the men who competed for her heart on The Bachelorette season 17. "You all are about to meet an incredible group of men with fascinating stories to tell," Katie started. She praised the men for being both vulnerable and strong throughout the season, and claimed to carry each of them inside her heart. "That all being said, I am protective of them," Katie declared, "I remember being on their side of this journey." For that reason, she's urging fans to "stay kind in this."
There's no doubt that Katie is grateful for the men who signed up for The Bachelorette to get to know her. On the other hand, this also seems like a clear response to the massive backlash that the cast of women from Matt James' season of The Bachelor received via social media. Katie is trying to get ahead of the inevitable wave of criticism that some cast members will get, which is a very sweet gesture from her. With that said, trying to manage Bachelor Nation is, at times, like trying to control the weather. Once the season starts, it is likely that the fans will have this or that to say about each of them.
Hopefully, the producers learned their lesson from Matt James' season and avoided casting guys with very problematic pasts or imaginary "royal" titles. After all, there are many ways to cast entertaining contestants without relying on such extremes.
The Bachelorette season 17 premieres Monday, June 7 at 8pm ET/PT on ABC.
Sources: Katie Thurston on Instagram