Kaitlyn Bristowe Called Out Jason Tartick’s “Victim Mentality”
“It’s really disappointing to me.”
For Bachelor Nation, 2024 started off with a bang. On Dec. 31, a video of Kaitlyn Bristowe and Zac Clark celebrating New Year’s Eve together went viral. In the short clip, Bristowe and Clark had their arms around each other as they counted down to midnight. The video sparked rumors that the two were seeing each other, and both of their exes have seemingly weighed in.
A little Bachelor franchise history: In 2021, Bristowe co-hosted The Bachelorette with Tayshia Adams. At the time, Adams was engaged to Zac Clark and Bristowe was engaged to Jason Tartick. But in November 2021, Adams and Clark split up. And then Bristowe and Tartick broke up in August 2023.
Now that it looks like Bristowe and Clark might be an item, Tartick seemingly responded to the rumors on Instagram. On Jan. 1, he posted a photo wishing his followers a happy new year. His podcast co-host David Arduin commented on the post, seemingly referencing the rumors, “Let’s just pretend 2024 starts tomorrow. Kid deserves a true FRESH start to the year.”
Tartick replied to Arduin, “@davidarduin I support this ha.” He followed up by sharing the interaction on his IG Stories, writing, “Jan 2, 2024 the first official day of 2024.” He also teased more details to come: “Jason Tells All - Year In Review.”
Apparently, Bristowe wasn’t too fond of Tartick’s response. “It’s really disappointing to me, the way that Jason’s kind of leaning into the victim mentality,” Bristowe said on a Jan. 4 episode of her Off The Vine podcast, per Us Weekly.
“I don’t want to dismiss that his feelings are valid and his feelings are hurting,” she added, per the outlet. “I have talked to him so openly and honestly. We have been so transparent with each other to have respect for one another.”
Bristowe added that she felt “really confused” about his comments since she thought they were “in such a good space.” She continued, “He came over the other day and I gave him a house tour.”
Adams, Clark’s ex, also seemed to reference the rumors. On Jan. 4, Adams posted a series of photos from the beach. “did someone say somethin?!??” she captioned the unbothered post.
Adams might not be stressing over the speculation, but some Bachelor fans are. “Idk this just feels like a betrayal on kaitlyn’s part,” one critic commented on an Instagram post, featuring the video. “When y’all gone start admitting that KB is the problem?” another wrote below the same IG.
It’s not just that Bristowe and Clark celebrated New Year’s Eve together. There’s also an unsubstantiated rumor that they were speaking during Bristowe and Tartick’s breakup, fueled by speculation that Tartick unfollowed Clark a few months ago.
Bristowe first responded to the speculation on Jan. 1, the day after the party. “You would think by now I’d be used to the hate. I’m not. Your words hurt. Your shaming hurts,” Bristowe wrote on her IG Stories. “Part of me feels a little sad and honestly embarrassed for you guys because this shouldn’t be how you spend day 1 of a new year.”
Bristowe continued, pointing out that haters didn’t have the full story. “You should not be this invested in someone you don’t even know or respect. It’s actually scary, and I know looking inward might be even scarier for you,” she wrote. “But the bullying is next level. You are allowed to have opinions and feelings. But you don’t even know the truth, and your HATE should actually come with consequences.”
She followed up with more Stories. “Please feel ashamed of yourselves for treating someone this way who you don’t know,” she wrote. “I did not kill someone. I had a party with some of my favorite people. Shame. On. YOU. Not me.”
“I wish I could just share my truth and tell you my side. It’s hard to bite my dang tongue sometimes,” Bristowe continued. “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. Social media la la land. Good lawwwddd.”
The former Bachelorette also posted a screenshot of a text someone sent her: “But like they don’t know the truth or any backstory.”
When Bristowe saw the rumors on the @bachelornation.scoop Instagram page, she responded in the comments section. “Hi! 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."
“No cheating went on. So we can just put that to rest. Thank you!! Happy new year everyone. Go donate some blood or somethin!” she continued.
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