Katie Thurston is proving she can serve just as much shade as she can romance. The former Bachelorette star took to Instagram this week to hilariously — and ruthlessly — respond to a dig from one of her old contestants, Cody Menk.
“Remember this guy from my season? Me either,” Thurston, 34, quipped on her Instagram Story Wednesday, August 6, alongside a photo of Menk, 32, from her 2021 run as the franchise’s leading lady.
While claiming she couldn’t quite place him, she teased, “But he’s still here lurking on my page.” She wrapped the post with a sweet-and-salty sendoff: “Thanks for being a fan,” topped off with a kissing emoji — plus a screenshot of the rude remark that sparked it all.
Menk had apparently popped up in the comments of Thurston and comedian Jeff Arcuri’s April wedding announcement to write, “Good couple! Both solid 5s,” punctuating it with a laughing emoji.
Thurston wasn’t about to let that one get under her skin. A few hours later, she shared a heartwarming counterpunch: a clip from the couple’s Off the Vine podcast appearance, where Arcuri gushed over his wife as she continues her battle with stage IV breast cancer.
When host Kaitlyn Bristowe asked what they’re most proud of, Arcuri didn’t hesitate: “I’m proud of how, mostly how, she’s not only going through this but, like, excelled through it.”
Thurston, holding back tears, replied, “He is something I’m most proud of. I will start crying. Like the way that he’s shown up. He doesn’t know how to show up for a cancer patient, especially one that’s his wife. He has just made so many sacrifices. … I’m so, so, so blessed.” She captioned the clip: “I hope you all find a @jarcuri in your life.”
Fans first met Thurston on Matt James’ season of The Bachelor before she stepped into the Bachelorette spotlight for Season 17. Menk, whose most memorable moment was arriving in a limo with a blow-up doll named Sandy, lasted just two weeks before being sent home.
Thurston, meanwhile, went on to hand her final rose to Blake Moynes, though the engagement ended in 2021. After a brief relationship with fellow contestant John Hersey, she met Arcuri in 2024, got engaged that August, and tied the knot in March 2025 — just weeks before publicly sharing her cancer diagnosis.
Even with the health challenges ahead, Thurston told Off the Vine listeners she’s looking toward a hopeful future: “My hope for the future is that, whether it’s this year or next year, I’ll be like, ‘Hey, guys, there’s no evidence of disease.’ Even though technically, stage IV is not curable… I’m very optimistic.”
