Matt JameswishesKatie Thurstonnothing but luck on the next leg of her journey — including if she ends up as the next lead onThe Bachelorette.
On Thursday’sWatch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, the currentBachelor, 29, shared his thoughts on fans calling for Thurston, whom he sent home on this week’s episode, to be the next Bachelorette.
First addressing the drama between Thurston, 29, and Serena Chew, James said, “When I saw Serena C. and Katie’s exchange, that had nothing to do with my feelings for Katie at that time. [It] doesn’t sayanything about her as a womanand how incredible she is, because she was there for a reason.”
“And those are the type of women that should be in consideration for a Bachelorette role,” he told hostAndy Cohen. “She’s bold, she’s courageous and she stands up for what she believes in.”
Jameseliminated Thurston on Monday’s episodeafter telling her during the evening portion of their one-on-one date that he didn’t have “those feelings that I need to have for finding a wife in this process” — a decision Thurston said she “didn’t [see] coming at all.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Katie Thurston and Matt James.Craig Sjodin via Getty
Matt James and Katie Thurston.Craig Sjodin/ABC
And despite rumors that she could be the next Bachelorette,franchise hostChris Harrisonrecently toldExtrathat as far as he knows, the next female leadhasn’t been selected yet.
“I promise you this: If we named her the next Bachelorette, I was not there,” he said. “We did not name her or anybody the next Bachelorette during theWomen Tell Allspecial. And in fact, we didn’t even talk about who was the next Bachelorette … unless they started taping in the middle of the night after I left.”
“So as far as I know, nobody has been named the Bachelorette. And I promise you this, it will not be a part of theTell Allspecial at all,” continued Harrison, 49, adding that a “large debate” about who could be the next female lead is still going.
Later onWWHL, during a game of “Truth or Drink,” James avoided directly speaking aboutVictoria Larson— this season’s self-appointed “queen,” whom he also sent packing last week — when Cohen asked him to rate how much he actually liked her from 1 to 10.
“Oh, wow, very good,” Cohen, 52, said as James knocked back his cocktail. “Wow, he’s chugging it — that’s how much he doesn’t want to answerthatquestion.”
“It was an easy [decision],” he said. “When that information was made available to me about what was going on in the house, that type of name calling and just blatant lies and rumors is unacceptable.”
The Bachelorairs Mondays (8 p.m. ET) on ABC.
source: people.com
