The Bachelorette bachelor John Hersey has called Greg Grippo out for shocking behavior and insisted no one should defend Greg for how he had treated Katie Thurston during their final breakup conversation.
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"I very rarely do this sort of thing, but I wanted to address a topic that is being very heavily discussed right now. Let me start by saying that I am so grateful for the incredible friendships I made while on this season," John began in his post.
"I could have never expected to be cast amongst such wonderful people. Along with many of you, I watched [Monday] night's episode and was shocked by some of the behavior I witnessed, namely the words and body language exhibited by Greg."
After Katie met Greg's family on his hometown date, Greg expressed to the Bachelorette through tears how he was madly in love with her and wanted to propose marriage. He said Katie had filled a hole in his heart that formed after his beloved father's passing, but then Katie stared at him longingly and said in reply, "I just love looking at you."
The next day, Greg, appearing to be in a very confused and vulnerable state, confronted Katie in her hotel room and essentially scolded her for focusing too much on roses and the competition aspect of the show rather than on their "real" relationship and his need for some validation.
Greg accused Katie of being guarded and making him feel like just "a number" on her list. He told the Bachelorette that she had made him feel "sick" and he was "so done" with her and the process.
While many viewers have accused Greg of emotionally manipulating Katie, others -- such as The Bachelorette alum Connor Brennan and Big Brother alum Kaitlyn Herman -- have stood up for Greg, insisting he was brokenhearted and had every right to be upset and express himself.
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"Watching these actions get defended (and therefore normalized) strikes me as extremely unhealthy and a step in the wrong direction," John continued in his Instagram Stories posting on Tuesday.
"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.”
John concluded, "Every one of us is on our journey, and it is important we continuously seek ways to improve ourselves. Absolutely none of us are perfect, but holding each other accountable is sometimes necessary to move forward."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWMany members of Bachelor Nation appear to agree with John's stance on the debate.
The Bachelor alum Bekah Martinez, for example, said, "I know he opened up to her and she said 'the wrong thing' but shutting down emotionally being like, 'wut, nothing's wrong why would you think that' and then punishing with silence is emotional manipulation 101," according to Us Weekly.
Bekah reportedly added, "I can't believe people are justifying this because of his trauma from his dad passing. Completely unacceptable and toxic behavior."
The Bachelorette alum Blake Horstmann also said Katie had given Greg as much as she could.
"To try and respect the other men she's not saying, 'I love you' because she wants to save that until the very, very end," Blake reportedly said.
He continued, "But this is the most I've ever seen a Bachelorette give a contestant before the end... You've got to remember how hard it is for Katie too."
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And The Bachelorette alum Luke Stone suggested Greg probably wasn't entirely sincere and genuine with Katie.
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"My theory: Greg got further than he expected/wanted and pushed the eject button real quick."
Katie appeared to accuse Greg of gaslighting her when she took to her Instagram Stories on Monday night and shared a post that read, "So you want to talk about gaslighting."
Katie's Instagram Stories post linked to a "Gaslighting" slideshow post on another Instagram account that includes a definition for gaslighting.
The Instagram slideshow defines "gaslighting" as "a form of emotional abuse or psychological manipulation involving distorting the truth in order to confuse or instill doubt in another person to the point they question their own sanity or reality."
It also lists the following as signs of gaslighting: "lying, discrediting, deflecting blame, minimizing, shifting blame and denying wrongdoing."
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While Katie didn't name Greg directly or even mention her The Bachelorette breakup, fans were led to assume she was referring to Greg as the gaslighter since social media was buzzing about their brutal breakup at the time and many Twitter users had even called Greg out for messing with Katie's mind and emotions.
During Monday night's penultimate episode of The Bachelorette's seventeenth season, Greg seemed desperate for reassurance that their love was as real to Katie as it was to him -- but Katie only turned the suitor off more once she called him her "No. 1 since the beginning."
Katie, who had made it clear to producers and viewers that Greg was her clear choice out of her Final 3 bachelors, asked Greg to trust her because she cared for him immensely, but she was still holding out in order to reveal her true feelings at the Final Rose Ceremony.
Greg therefore stormed out of Katie's hotel room and decided to quit the show, which left Katie bawling in a bathroom and questioning if she should end The Bachelorette process early and just go home because she had lost her confidence and felt "destroyed."
The Bachelorette episode on Monday night ended on a cliffhanger, with Katie trying to decide if she could even most past her split from Greg and resume dating her Final 2 bachelors, Justin Glaze and Blake Moynes.
The Bachelorette's three-hour finale for Season 17 will air Monday, August 9 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
