The Bachelorette host Chris Harrison has given producers' opinion on the Chad Rookstool and JoJo Fletcher controversy.
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After Fletcher's ex-boyfriend Chad Rookstool spilled her alleged secrets in a March tell-all interview with In Touch Weekly, the Bachelorette's motives came into question.
Rookstool accused Fletcher of reuniting with him romantically after The Bachelor, never having developed genuine feelings for Ben Higgins, going on The Bachelorette for a career boost, and leaving the door open with him once filming wraps and she returns home to Dallas, TX.
"JoJo's ex-boyfriend Chad decided to 'tell all' to a magazine. Normally, we wouldn't pay this any mind, but in this case, the claims were so extreme that they called the entire nature of JoJo's journey into question," Harrison wrote in his Yahoo! TV blog.
Fletcher's bachelors found out about the tabloid mid-The Bachelorette season. As shown in Monday night's episode, they had to confront Fletcher about their concerns, and she denied everything Rookstool had said.
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"One of the guys read the magazine and news sure spread fast. Of course, the men were incredibly supportive and just assumed that this was a jealous ex trying to get his 15 minutes of fame, but we thought it was important for JoJo to know the rumors that were spreading," Harrison explained.
"Just like she addressed the [cheating] rumors with [Jordan Rodgers], she decided to address the rumors about herself with the rest of the men."
Harrison then stood up for Fletcher, trying to invalidate Rookstool's allegations. Producers believed that Fletcher's intentions for starring as the Bachelorette were pure.
"I think it was easy to see that JoJo was hurt that someone from her past would do this to her. I don't want to speak for JoJo, but we are confident that she's is in this for the right reasons and we won't let rumors stop her from continuing her quest to find the love of her life," Harrison said.
Harrison pointed out that it was an "exhausting" week for Fletcher.
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"JoJo decided to rip off the Band-Aid and go right to the Rose Ceremony. [Grant Kemp], [Vinny Ventiera], and [Evan Bass] are three great guys, but their relationships with JoJo were just moving a little too slow," Harrison wrote in the blog.
"JoJo really teared up when they left though, and I think she finally started to understand just how intense and difficult all the future goodbyes will be."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski