Katie Dramatically Revealed She's Dating 1 Of Her 'Bachelorette' Guys
Rumors have been swirling about them forever.
The mess just got messier — in the best way possible. For her 12th and final day of messy, Katie Thurston revealed that she’s dating John Hersey, a contestant from her season of The Bachelorette she eliminated during the second episode. The former Bachelorette shared her romantic update on her Instagram Story on Nov. 23, pairing a video montage of her and Hersey to the tune of Taylor Swift’s “Begin Again.”
For the reveal, Thurston shared several clips of the duo spending time together, from flying together to Hersey (a bartender) serving her a drink. She finished the video with a snippet of the first time they met — when he got out of the limo to meet her the night filming for The Bachelorette began. In that moment, Hersey told her, “These past few weeks have been insane. I’ve felt like I’ve been dreaming... I feel like I’m dreaming twice as hard right now.” Thurston responded, “I feel the same way, so we’re on the same page.”
Although they might have got on different pages in the time since then (Thurston finished her run as the Bachelorette with an engagement to Blake Moynes), it seems like they’ve synced up once again. They honestly seem super cute together, too. And no, it’s not just because a love song is playing in the background.
Although Thurston only just confirmed her romantic connection with Hersey on Nov. 23, rumors about the two of them have been circulating this duo for quite some time — even before her season started airing. ICYMI, on May 14, Thurston posted a seemingly innocuous Instagram, tagging the location as Duke’s La Jolla, a restaurant in San Diego where Hersey coincidentally bartends. Fans on Reddit quickly put two and two together, coming to the (understandable) conclusion that Thurston and Hersey must have ended up together. Cue the shock from fans when he was sent home by week two.
As Thurston’s season continued to air, the duo began sharing their friendship more publicly. In July 2021, Thurston even tried to act as Hersey’s wingwoman, encouraging her followers to slide into his DMs. Considering Thurston was happily engaged to Moynes at the time, there weren’t too many questions about her and Hersey’s relationship status. It seemed totally platonic. Plus, considering Thurston was planning on moving to San Diego (Hersey’s hometown) in August, it only made sense for the two to reconnect.
However, when she and Moynes announced their breakup on Oct. 25, rumors about a romantic connection between her and Hersey swirled once more. On Oct. 27, Thurston shared a photo of Hersey’s dog, Dexter, on Instagram. Alongside the photo, she wrote, “Dexter forcing me out the house this morning.” Is it a stretch to think that Hersey was also there to comfort Thurston?
Although we’ll probably never know the exact timeline of their new romance, it seems like it’s off to a good start. And Bachelor Nation couldn’t be happier. Fans flooded the comments section of Hersey’s latest Instagram, which obvi featured Thurston, to celebrate. One wrote, “Congratulations Katie and John!!! Cutest couple alert.” Another commented, “So happy for you!!!” Agreed.
Although this is just the beginning for Thurston and Hersey, I can’t wait to see what they do next. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait for another 12-day countdown for an update.
