A house divided? Future spouses Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon both have strong feelings about Kelly Ripa’s thoughts on The Bachelor franchise — but they aren’t fully aligned.
“I personally find it kind of offensive,” Iaconetti, 31, told Us Weekly at the 2019 iHeartRadio Wango Tango event presented by The JUVÉDERM® Collection of Dermal Fillers in L.A. on Saturday, June 1.
Haibon, 30, chimed in: “Listen, first of all, she’s very much entitled to her opinion, but she said that she didn’t like The Bachelor because she hated the idea of 25 extraordinary woman going after one ordinary man. I wouldn’t say that a lot of the bachelors are ordinary. That’s besides the point, my question would be, I want to know her views about The Bachelorette.”
His bride-to-be quipped in response, “I would say that while there are a lot of wonderful women on the show, there are also a lot of wonderful men on the show, my fiancé included, and a lot of my friends who have been leads in the past. Nick [Viall], Ben [Higgins], Colton [Underwood], you know, it’s very wrong for her to [say that].”
The drama all began last month when Ripa expressed her thoughts about the hit ABC series while discussing Hannah Brown’s current Bachelorette season.
“You guys, you know how I feel about the show — it disgusts me,” the All My Children alum said during Live With Kelly and Ryan at the time. “I can’t stand the idea of 25 exceptional women fighting over one ordinary fella, in my opinion. You know how I feel, ladies; we are too special to be arguing over a guy.”
Her remarks caught the attention of many past contestants on the show — including host Chris Harrison and creator Mike Fleiss.
“Look out #BachelorNation @KellyRipa is coming after you and your ‘disgusting’ Monday night habit,” Harrison wrote on Twitter in response. Fleiss, meanwhile, tweeted: “Easy, @KellyRipa … #TheBachelor franchise pays your salary!”
Ripa also has the support of many celebrities, too, including Ellen Pompeo, Wendy Williams, Shonda Rhimes and more. “Okay @fleissmeister … that’s some handle bro! Your show does NOT pay @KellyRipa salary. Also we don’t attack successful women on our network and men certainly cannot take credit for their success,” the Grey’s Anatomy star tweeted in defense of Ripa. “Don’t get me started on your show cuz I’m a savage … #bachelorsoooowhite.”
Ripa isn’t bothered by the backlash, however. “These ‘clapbacks’ have people at ABC laughing. Live With Kelly and Ryan is one of the most lucrative shows on TV. Claiming that The Bachelor pays for Kelly’s salary is amusing, to say the least. If anything, her success in syndication and promotion of these shows pays their salaries,” an insider told Us Weekly.
The source added: “These guys can’t handle a little lighthearted criticism from a successful woman who has been on TV longer than their contestants have been alive. These guys’ rose ceremonies are all thorns.”
With reporting by Lindsay Hoffman
