Victoria Larson claims she was “manipulated” into being the villain on her season of The Bachelor.
Larson, 32, first appeared on season 25 of The Bachelor in 2021 in an attempt to win the heart of Matt James. In a video shared via TikTok on Friday, March 14, Larson wrote that she was “manipulated into being the villain” for the series “[because] I wanted airtime and to entertain during covid when everything was cancel culture.” Larson added that she “got death threats and hate mail every day for two years” as a result.
In the comments of her video, Larson wrote, “Tbh it hurt that no one stood up for me in the media and had my back, they were more concerned for their images and brand deals, in fact Matt is the only one who spoke up to the truth of how it was.”
Larson had gained notoriety as a villain during her time on The Bachelor and, later, Bachelor in Paradise, likening herself to a goddess or a queen and being accused of bullying by her fellow contestants.
As for Larson, she previously opened up about her negative experiences while filming the show, calling it the “worst experience of my life” via her Instagram Story in 2021.
“However, I try and look with greater perspective,” Larson continued. “There are way more significant issues in the world and mine are minuscule in comparison. Focus on my blessings always. … One of my favorite things is when people recognize me and are purposefully rude to me [because] they think I’m an awful person. It’s almost as great as the online trolls.”
Larson said at the time, “I hate the producers, truly,” adding that “they’re manipulative and pick and choose ‘story lines.’”
In a January 2021 interview with Good Morning America, Larson shared that she didn’t regret her actions on the show.
“Honestly, it was all in good fun,” she said. “If my words or actions hurt anyone, like, I sincerely apologize and I’ll do better and hold myself accountable. I’m not a bully. I’m really not. … [The other contestants] knew me and knew my heart and knew that I really never have ill intent, so I think they viewed it differently just because they know me.”
Larson explained she had “anticipated being well-received” so receiving “the bullying messages and the hate mail and the death threats, [I] wasn’t really prepared for that at all.”
She added, “100 percent, it was shocking. I don’t think my kindness really got to show through and I really do have a good heart. I actually became friends with one of the new girls.”
