REALITY TVWill Katie Thurston Be The Next 'Bachelorette' Leading Lady? Chris Harrison Weighs In
The Bachelor host Chris Harrison addressed speculation that Bachelor contestant Katie Thurston — who was sent home after the Monday, February 8, episode — will be the next leading lady on The Bachelorette.
"We did not name her or anybody the next Bachelorette during the Women Tell All special," Harrison clarified on Tuesday, February 9, referencing the rumors that the next lead will be revealed during the bombshell TV special, which doesn't have a release date yet.
"In fact, we didn’t even talk who was the next Bachelorette," he added. "As far as I know [neither], Katie, [nor anybody else] has been named the next Bachelorette. And I promise you this, it will not be a part of the Tell All special at all."
However, the host, 49, hinted that Thurston "was in the hot seat as were several other women" from Matt James' season on the upcoming Women Tell All.
Harrison stated he "didn’t even ask her if she wanted to be the Bachelorette," as "there's a large debate still going" on about who will fill the prominent title after Clare Crawley and Tayshia Adams' controversial season.
Thurston also shut down the rumors surrounding her title as the next Bachelorette after Bachelor Nation insider and podcast host Stephen Carbone stated: "At the Women Tell All taping this past Thursday, Katie Thurston was announced as the next 'Bachelorette,'" on Saturday, February 6.
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Thurston took to her Instagram Story to share a selfie with the caption: "Reading my text this morning like," followed by a shrug emoji. "News to me."
Former contestant Thurston, 30, was sent home on the latest episode after her one-on-one date with the handsome hunk.
While the two definitely had fun on their outting — where they pranked BFF Tyler Cameron as he got a massage from an actress who was being told what to do and say by Thurston and James —the 29-year-old decided to send her packing in the end.
James candidly told the brunette beauty that his relationships with the other women had progressed further than their's had.
Thurston instantly turned heads on the dating show when she arrived on day one with a vibrator. The sex-positive contestant later won over Bachelor Nation after she defended the contestants in the house who were getting bullied by the other women.
Harrison first reacted to the rumors of Thurston as the next Bachelorette while speaking to Extra correspondent Rachel Lindsay.
The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.
