Nick Viall Calls Out 'Bachelorette's Jed Wyatt for Alleged Girlfriend Drama: 'What the F**k, Jed?' (Exclusive)
Nick Viall has a bone to pick with Jed Wyatt.
ET's Deidre Behar spoke with the former Bachelor on the red carpet at the 2019 NBA Awards in Santa Monica, California, on Monday night, where he called out the Bachelorette frontrunner over his alleged girlfriend drama.
"What the f**k, Jed?" Viall asked. "I don't have any inside information, but there seems to be some hard-hitting evidence [that he had a girlfriend while appearing on the show]."
Last week, Wyatt's ex-girlfriend, Haley Stevens, came forward alleging that she and Wyatt were in a relationship when he headed off to Los Angeles to film The Bachelorette with Hannah Brown. In an interview with ET, Stevens claimed that Wyatt intended to return to her after filming, and said Wyatt told her he only planned to make the top five as a way to improve name recognition for his music career. In an exclusive screenshot of an alleged text conversation between what Stevens said is her and Wyatt, he tells her he loves her while boarding his plane to LA.
Viall said he hasn't watched Stevens' interview with ET, but knows that contestants having relationships throughout the casting process is pretty common. "I have had friends of friends who are going through the casting process surprisingly ask my opinion about going through it, who admit they're actually dating someone," he confessed, noting that with the rise of social media, questioning whether someone is on the show for the "right reasons" is "a little more justified these days."
Wyatt has admitted to Brown on The Bachelorette that his original intention for appearing on the show was to promote his music, and he performed multiple times for her on Monday's episode. "There's not an episode Jed's in without a guitar or a piano. It's almost like the perfect episode," Viall marveled.
As for how Brown should handle the situation, the aspiring actor told ET that he's been impressed by her maturity, both on the show and in real life. "It's disappointing," he said of the controversy surrounding Wyatt. "As a viewer, it seems like he's a frontrunner... I would assume he's top four."
"I think she's doing great," Viall said. "I had high expectations for Hannah, but she really is -- a lot of people like to say mature for their age, but from what I talked to her, she has a really good head on her shoulders for being 24. And I thought that was impressive."
Viall also thinks Brown's upcoming confrontation with Luke Parker over sex and religion will further the franchise and inspire viewers.
"I think she's a very authentic person, and it's almost hard for her to be inauthentic, which I really enjoy," he expressed. "I think the paradox of someone like Hannah, who has been very outspoken about her faith -- which I think is great, but also that sometimes makes us feel judged and shamed -- I think she's been open about this. I think she's been a role model for a lot of young women who maybe come from a traditional upbringing, and it's OK to kind of liberate yourself. So, I think it's great, and I think she's doing a fantastic job."
The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Join ET's Bachelor Nation Facebook group here.
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