Bachelor Nation’s John Hersey denied that his girlfriend Katie Thurston cheated on former fiancé Blake Moynes with him amid speculation over the timeline of their new romance.
Hersey, 27, defended Thurston, 30, in a Reddit thread after Moynes, 31, said on the November 24 edition of the Talking It Out podcast that he felt Thurston ‘in some sense’ was ’emotionally cheating’ on him prior to their split last month.
‘There was no wrongdoing prior to the end of their engagement,’ Hersey said in the the Reddit post. (Sources verified Hersey authored the Reddit post to Page Six and E! News.)
The latest: Bachelor Nation’s John Hersey, 27, denied that his girlfriend Katie Thurston, 30, cheated on former fiancé Blake Moynes, 31, with him amid speculation over the timeline of their new romance; pictured September 2021 in LA
After what he described as ‘a wild couple days to say the least,’ Hersey said that while he’s supportive of people voicing their opinions on the issues, he is hurt by many people making ‘assumptions’ and throwing around ‘accusations based on very limited knowledge of a situation.’
Hersey said he and Thurston ‘developed an incredible and deep friendship over the last half year or so,’ and that ‘the circumstances by which this friendship formed was a series of crazy, random, and coincidental events.’
Hersey said he and Thurston ‘were ALWAYS platonic’ and ‘never had a chance to foster anything romantic’ during his time on The Bachelorette.
‘The boundaries of our friendship with respect to her ongoing relationship never even required addressing, because it was never a thought in our minds that we would ever be anything more. You guys – she was engaged.
Giving him another rose: Hersey was a contestant who left week two on Katie’s season of The Bachelorette
‘I feel stupid and foolish’: Blake Moynes thinks Katie Thurston emotionally cheated on him with her new boyfriend John Hersey, based on how quickly she moved on from him
Hersey said neither he and Thurston ‘would ever cheat, push someone to cheat, or be involved in cheating,’ as it is not in their nature and unacceptable.
Hersey said that while he understands ‘the timeline seems fast and messy,’ he and Thurston acted on their romantic impulses after they ‘realized there was a romantic connection that we were interested in exploring.’
Hersey also apologized ‘to those of whom have felt emotionally triggered by how our actions have been perceived, as he was saddened by the idea that the romance ‘could have been a source of anxiety for ANYONE.
‘As I mentioned before, cheating in any form is unacceptable, and I’m sorry if it looked as though either of us were taking advantage of anyone’s trust,’ he said.
Moynes and Thurston announced the end of their engagement in late October, but less than a month later his ex debuted her new relationship with John, a former contestant who also vied for her heart on The Bachelorette.
‘I really don’t think there was any physical cheating there, but there’s clearly emotional for it to transition as quickly as it did,’ Moynes said on the Talking It Out podcast with Bachelorette alums Mike Johnson and Dr. Bryan Abasolo.
‘I feel stupid and foolish for allowing it to happen, I guess to some degree. I don’t know if it was partially me, too. Was she in some sense emotionally cheating to some degree because I wasn’t able to provide something with words of affirmation?’
The ex factor: Thurston recently split from Blake, whom she became engaged to on The Bachelorette
Blake said he ‘didn’t see this coming.’
‘Everyone’s asking me questions like I have the answers. I don’t,’ Blake said. ‘I really thought there was no way [Thurston could be dating Hersey] just based on timeline and everything.’
‘I know they spent a lot of time together and stuff, but there’s just no way. I never had an inkling,’ he added.
The way Katie debuted their relationship also raised questions about the timeline.
Katie announced her relationship John in an Instagram Story series entitled ’12 Days Of Messy’, which saw her describe her relationship with various Bachelorette contestants using Taylor Swift songs.
‘I’m sure she probably knew who day 12 was and who it was going to be and why,’ he said. ‘So when I try to think about the breakup happening when it did, roughly a month ago, she probably had an idea two weeks after that who was going be number 12 and how she was going to announce it.’
On Tuesday, Katie’s rep told Page Six she and John were exploring a ‘romantic connection.’
‘It’s known Katie and John became close friends post-season,’ the rep said.
‘John has been there for her through all the major changes in her life, and they are excited to explore this newly found romantic connection.’
Rumor has it! The duo were rumored to be dating after fans took notice of their frequent hangouts in San Diego, where they both live, back in October
First night jitters: The duo met on Katie’s season of The Bachelorette
Insiders told E! Katie has ‘never been happier’ amid the new romance.
‘Katie and John were mutually in the friend zone for months,’ a source told the site.
‘A lot has changed in the last four weeks,’ the insider said. ‘And it’s been wild but exciting for those closest to them to witness.’
The duo were rumored to be dating after fans took notice of their frequent hangouts in San Diego, where they both live, back in October.
She suggested they were dating in the last video of her ’12 Days Of Messy’ Instagram Story series on Tuesday, which ended with the Taylor Swift song Begin Again and clips of her with John.
The clip showed John piloting a small airplane, bartending, and their first meeting on The Bachelorette, where Katie called him ‘my type.’
‘Yeah, that’s my type. I think that’s my type,’ Katie said as she watched John walk away.
It should come as no surprise that Katie used the song We Are Never Getting Back Together to describe her relationship with ex Blake.
The couple became engaged on the season finale of The Bachelorette but announced their breakup last month.
‘It is with mutual love and respect that we have decided to go our separate ways,’ the couple said in a statement. ‘We are so grateful for the moments we shared together and the entire journey that has unfolded this year, but we ultimately have concluded that we are not compatible as life partners, and it is the most caring choice for both of us to move forward independently.’
New flame: She suggested they were dating in the last video of her ’12 Days Of Messy’ Instagram Story series, which saw her describe her relationship with various Bachelorette contestants using Taylor Swift songs
Just her type! Thurston was definitely attracted to Thurston on night one of the show
Starting a buzz! Thurston posted video of Hersey, a bartender, hard at work
