Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti think Kaitlyn Bristowe knew what she was doing when she seemingly addressed her friendship fallout with Tayshia Adams over Zac Clark — and made that NSFW comment.
“I want to give her the benefit of the doubt and say she knew that that comment was going to cause controversy,” Higgins, 35, said on the Tuesday, August 27, episode of the “Almost Famous” podcast. “And she was prepared, I hope, for that controversy to exist.”
Higgins was referring to the Sunday, August 25, appearance on the “U, Up?” podcast, where Bristowe, 39, seemingly recalled a conversation with Adams, 33, about her budding romance with Clark, 40. (Adams and Clark got engaged during season 16 of The Bachelorette and split in November 2021 after one year together.)
While not naming Adams or Clark, Bristowe explained that she reached out to the woman after going on a date with her “Bachelor Nation” ex. The woman responded by saying, “I always knew you were a bad person and you’ve confirmed it. Your true colors are showing.” In response, Bristowe hung up and thought, “Now, I just want to send her a picture of me sucking his d–k.”
Iaconetti, 36, agreed with Higgins’ take on Bristowe’s remarks. “There’s no way she didn’t think this would become a headline when she said this on the podcast,” Iaconetti said.
Higgins noted that they should “never assume for a second” that Bristowe “doesn’t know what she’s doing.” He added, “She knows that this is going to be controversial and so she’s willing to take the heat. Like, she has to be. And if she’s not, then that’s a whole other conversation.”
Higgins added that he would be “shocked” if Bristowe thought “nobody is going to care” about her remarks. “Like, I don’t think Kaitlyn thinks that way,” he said.
Higgins, who was the second-runner up of Bristowe’s season 11 of The Bachelorette in 2015, noted that the Canada native is “extremely loyal until you cross her.”
“I think Kaitlyn is easily crossed,” Higgins said. “I’m saying this like I would say it to Kaitlyn. She gets crossed really quickly instead of taking the time to wade through these waters and push some things aside that would be offensive and probably be like, ‘Hey, yeah, Tayshia, that comment hurts me. … I’m no longer like really respecting your opinion in this relationship,’ and just pushing that aside.”
Higgins continued: “That still sits with her because Tayshia crossed her, and as a result, Kaitlyn is going to make sure that somebody knows that Tayshia crossed her.”
Bristowe and Clark, who were first spotted together earlier this year, have yet to confirm their relationship publicly. Iaconetti, for her part, theorized that Bristowe’s remarks were a “soft launch” of their romance.
“I don’t think she would tell the story if they were not together,” Iaconetti said, before wondering, “Or is this kind of a slap and they’re not together?” Ultimately, Iaconetti and Higgins agreed that they think Bristowe and Clark are currently together.
Bristowe, who has received backlash for her remarks, has since apologized. She wrote in her “Off the Vine” Facebook group, “I apologize how it came off. My sense of humor isn’t for everyone.”
