Taking a stand. Ashley Iaconetti came to Luke Parker’s defense after an explosive Bachelorette: Men Tell All episode aired on Monday, July 22.
“I feel like I’ve had a general sense of empathy for him over the past couple of weeks, when everybody has been like just ratting on him,” the Bachelor in Paradise alum, 31, said on Access’ “The Bachelorette: The Morning After” show one day after the special. “But the [first] 20 minutes there at the beginning of the episode made me feel like, ‘Oh, damn. This guy is a narcissist. He was like, ‘I have without a shadow of a doubt, I know you still have feelings for me.’ Like, are you kidding me? You are so self-obsessed. It’s unreal!”
Parker, 25, was hit with brutal comments from his Bachelorette costars regarding his behavior throughout season 15. When Iaconetti analyzed the episode, she recognized that the Georgia native made some questionable remarks. However, she also noted that he was not the only one doing the bullying.
The Syracuse University alum pointed out that Parker’s “behavior at the beginning of the episode was indefensible, but it was the bullying of the bully” that was also problematic.
During the episode, Parker was criticized by many of his costars — including leading lady Hannah Brown and former suitor Devin Harris. Victorious alum Daniela Monet, who appeared alongside Iaconetti for Access’ show, followed the former Bachelor star’s comments by sharing how she “was surprised that the network let some of that slip through the cracks.”
“They should have protected theirselves [sic] a little bit, because it came off as though they allowed this behavior when in reality, like, he didn’t speak over anyone,” the former Nickelodeon star continued. “He let them have their say. He sat there, and he took it. When Devin came out, that was so lame. And then [Devin] disappears, and it was like, ‘Can I say anything?’”
While Luke did take several verbal attacks from his fellow season 15 stars, he also uttered controversial remarks during Monday’s episode. The import/export manager admitted that he was “arrogant” and even apologized to Brown, but he claimed to not have any regrets from his journey on The Bachelorette. “If I could go back, I wouldn’t change a thing,” he said. Iaconetti, however, noted that it “was really dumb” for Parker to state this.
Parker was eliminated by Brown, 24, during the fantasy suite week episode on July 15. At the time, he explained that he would be “wanting to go home” if she had sex with the other contenders because he was choosing to abstain until marriage. Brown, meanwhile, hit back by saying, “You’re judging me and feel like you have the right to when you don’t at this point.”
Tyler Cameron, Jed Wyatt and Peter Weber are Brown’s remaining suitors. The two-night finale of The Bachelorette airs on ABC Monday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.
