Kaitlyn Bristowe is not afraid to admit she staged a fake funeral and burial as a way to move on from her last relationship.
The former Bachelorette explained on the Tuesday, August 27, episode of her podcast, “Off the Vine With Kaitlyn Bristowe” how it was a therapeutic way for her to make peace with her new reality.
“A little funeral service, like, a fake burial,” said Bristowe, 39. “I didn’t bury anything, it was all mental…It was more of a visual practice, and it is to say your goodbyes and make a little peace with it.”
“It shifts something in the old brain,” she added. “I mean, was I like, alright? No, but it really does do something in your brain.”
Bristowe did not mention her ex by name. She and Jason Tartick of The Bachelorette were engaged from 2021 to 2023 before calling it off last summer.
“Continuing our friendship is incredibly important to both of us,” they said in a statement at the time. “We feel grateful to be ending our engagement with love and respect for each other. It’s heartbreaking and sad to say goodbye, but our care and admiration for one another will never die.”
Since then, Bristowe has been linked to Zac Clark, the ex-fiancé of her former Bachelorette cohost, Tayshia Adams. The two were first spotted together on New Year’s Eve 2023 and have been seen enjoying each other’s company periodically since.
Bristowe confirmed in July that she was dating someone new but did not confirm his identity. Speculation hit a boiling point on August 25 when Bristowe appeared on the “U, Up?” podcast and described reaching out to a woman from the Bachelor franchise to see if it would be okay for her to date her ex. She did not mention Adams or Clark by name.
“I [wrote], ‘Hey, so-and-so DM’ed me and we’ve been chatting. I know you’re really happy in a relationship, so I don’t know [if] this would bother you or not,’” she explained. “She called and was very upset. She said, ‘I always knew you were a bad person and you’ve confirmed it. Your true colors are showing.’ Then, I hung up and [thought], ‘Now, I just want to send her a picture of me sucking his d–k.’”
Adams has been dating Summer House’s Luke Gulbranson since 2023.
Bristowe’s apparent relationship with Clark comes after she initially said that she was done dating members of Bachelor Nation. She explained on the “U, Up?” podcast why she changed her mind.
“I wonder if other people have that in, like, the workplace,” she said. “Like, ‘I don’t want to date another lawyer if I’m a lawyer.’ It’s one of those things where I say that, but then I see all the hot pieces of ass that come out of the Bachelor franchise. And I’m like, ‘OK.’”
