Colton Underwood Defends Bachelorette Hannah Brown amid Slut-Shaming: She's 'Deserving of Love'
Having been in her shoes, Colton Underwood has Hannah Brown‘s back.
Speaking to PEOPLE on Monday at Monster Energy’s $50K Charity Challenge Celebrity Basketball Game in Westwood, California, the former Bachelor weighed in on the current season of The Bachelorette. Brown has openly discussed her sex life throughout, even teasing in a recent promo that she had sex in a windmill (twice!).
“I mean, listen, there’s no right or wrong in this,” said Underwood, 27. “I got slammed for being a virgin, she gets slammed for whatever she’s doing, you know.”
“People have their opinions. They’re entitled to them,” he continued. “I know Hannah. She’s not going to let it affect her. She’s standing up for herself and she’s an incredible person, so deserving of love.”
Brown made it to the final seven on Underwood’s season of The Bachelor earlier this year. The 24-year-old Alabama native is currently down to her own final four on The Bachelorette: Luke Parker, Jed Wyatt, Tyler Cameron and Peter Weber.
“She has a couple tough decisions to make and you know, who knows,” Underwood predicted. “I just know that she’s going to take care of herself and she’s been so authentic and so true to herself, and she’s going to continue to do that.”
Underwood isn’t the first to come to Brown’s defense. Former Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe recently clapped back at Brown’s slut-shamers on Twitter, writing, “Women can have sex if they choose, and women can wait till marriage if they choose. Point is, ITS THEIR CHOICE. When you’re making a life altering decision to find a life partner, intimacy can be important. Why is that so hard to understand?”
Cameron, one of Brown’s final contestants, also defended her after she was criticized for “dry-humping” the men.
The Bachelorette airs Mondays (8 p.m. ET) on ABC.
