Ben Higgins has weighed in on whether there was drama between Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams at The Golden Wedding following Kaitlyn's PDA-filled night with Tayshia's ex Zac Clark.
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Kaitlyn hosted a New Year's Eve party at her home in Nashville, TN, on December 31, and she invited several Bachelor Nation members -- including Zac -- who was previously engaged to Tayshia.
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Ben also attended Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist's televised January 4 wedding in California, and he saw Kaitlyn and Tayshia's interactions firsthand.
"I was actually at their table, and so I get to talk about the dynamic here," Ben said during the January 8 episode of "The Ben and Ashley I: Almost Famous Podcast," which he co-hosts with Ashley Iaconetti.
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"I can clear up and answer the question, 'Was there actual drama?' No, [there was not]."
Ashley, who also attended The Golden Bachelor couple's wedding, said everyone was just hanging around, having a good time, and "nobody was having drama with anyone."
"No, never," Ben agreed.
"Everybody was happy," Ashley added.
Ben reiterated, "There was not any drama to speak of. Everybody -- I don't even know if they had to be mature in this situation. I think everybody was just having fun and sharing the same space and doing what they needed to do."
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Ben, who starred on The Bachelor's 20th season, said it "was not weird at all" sitting next to Kaitlyn and Tayshia -- who starred on Season 11 and Season 16 of The Bachelorette, respectively -- at the wedding reception.
"I thought, 'Maybe it could be.' As I mentioned [before], I wanted to have a front-row seat to the first time they saw each other again, and now I'm seeing it and thinking, 'This could be interesting,'" Ben recalled of the two women. "But no. Nothing crazy."
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Ashley also pointed out how the tables at the wedding were very big and the centerpieces were very large as well.
"So if they weren't a couple of seats away from each other, they were pretty well blocked," Ashley noted.
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Ben concluded that it "worked out" and "everybody had fun" at Gerry and Theresa's nuptials.
"Tayshia and Kaitlyn are both friends of mine... Obviously I know more about Kaitlyn, because I was on her season, and so we kind of buddied up with a few others, and Tayshia obviously had other friends there as well," Ben recalled.
"We just had a great time and there was nothing weird -- ever -- going on. "I know it's disappointing to some. Sorry, there's nothing to report."
The Instagram account @BachelorNation.scoop posted a video of Kaitlyn and Zac looking cozy as they counted down to midnight together on New Year's Eve.
Kaitlyn had her arm around Zac's neck while he had his hand on her back. The footage sparked gossip they're currently dating -- and that Kaitlyn possibly cheated on her ex-fiance Jason Tartick before they officially announced their split in August 2023.
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Jason seemingly responded to the gossip via Instagram on January 1, only hours after Kaitlyn issued a public statement denying she had ever cheated on Jason.
Jason posted a picture of his smiling face and captioned it, "Happy New Year," along with a heart emoji.
Jason's upload prompted many comments from Instagram users about Kaitlyn's apparent new romance with Zac.
"Let's just pretend 2024 starts tomorrow. Kid deserves a true FRESH start to the year," one follower wrote.
Jason responded, "I support this ha."
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Jason subsequently shared a screenshot of that comment via Instagram Stories on Monday, adding, "Jan 2, 2024 the first official day of 2024."
Jason also posted a video of the two dogs he shares with Kaitlyn, Ramen and Pinot, and he wrote, "When in doubt... go to the puppy park."
Kaitlyn said when thinking about the situation, the word "disappointment" kept popping up in her mind.
"I feel so disappointed that someone could use a false narrative, like a false-narrative accusation to garner sympathy for themselves," Kaitlyn said on her "Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe" podcast.
The "false accusation" appears to fan speculation that Kaitlyn had been unfaithful to Jason with Zac.
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"Here to say that there was never an ounce of cheating happening and I will not stand for this rumor. Y'all are NASTY in here. Anywho. Swear on my dogs lives," Kaitlyn clarified in an Instagram comment on January 1.
"No cheating went on. So we can just put that to rest. Thank you!! Happy new year everyone. Go donate some blood or somethin!"
Kaitlyn also appeared to address her rumored romance with Zac by writing via Instagram Stories, "I wish I could just share my truth and tell you my side. It's hard to bite my dang tongue sometimes."
"But you just go on and continue to have your own little made up story in your head and believe what you want to believe," she added. "Social media la la land. Good lawwwddd."
Since word spread about Kaitlyn and Zac's relationship, Kaitlyn has also taken heat for breaking "girl code" since she's good friends with Tayshia.
For Zac's part, he got engaged to Tayshia on The Bachelorette's sixteenth season finale in 2020.
But about one year after their engagement aired on ABC, Zac and Tayshia announced their breakup in November 2021.
The addiction specialist and New Yorker recently recalled of proposing marriage to The Bachelorette alum on "The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast" that in the moment, "it felt real" and "it felt right."
Zac insisted, "I wouldn't change anything. I don't live in regret. It's a very special moment in time and in my life regardless of what happened."
Tayshia is currently dating former Summer House star Luke Gulbranson.
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