The Bachelor star Matt James has responded to his friend Jerry's comments criticizing and judging Victoria Larson's body in a video that recently surfaced of the guys golfing.
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As Matt prepares to putt and hopefully sink a shot for the win, a friend named Jerry attempts to rattle The Bachelor star and distract him by saying, "Now how was Victoria's body? You know, 'cause when I look at her, it doesn't look very nice, and you've been making out with this woman!"
Matt was asked to address the incident during a Thursday appearance on The Real talk show given there's been some backlash Matt didn't stand up for Victoria or scold his pal for body-shaming a woman.
"That is never something that I condone or stand for," Matt said on The Real.
"It's just a constant reminder that you've got to be smart about the people you surround yourself with."
Matt insinuated that making jokes at someone else's expense is never okay, even if there's no ill intent.
"Those moments when you're in sports and people are trying to say things to you to throw things off your game, it's sad that someone would think that saying something like that about a woman that I was dating would deter me from what I was trying to do," Matt explained.
Matt insisted he actually confronted Jerry about his behavior.
"I said something to him off camera about it, something along the lines of, 'Victoria wouldn't give him a second look.' And it's always the pot calling the kettle black," Matt said.
"Who is he to comment on someone's body? It's such a low blow for any man to try to take a dig at something like that. It's just not my character and it's not what I'm about, and it's a shame that that's even associated with what was going on."
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Matt -- who recently gushed about Victoria's sense of humor and quick wit -- therefore added, "So I apologize on his behalf. I don't know if you'll get it from him, but that's not something I support or stand for."
When the video of Matt golfing was posted on social media earlier this week, Victoria also had her say.
Victoria left a comment on the video that read, "Cute ... I love my body :)." She also added a pink heart emoji to her post.
In addition, Victoria appeared to slam Jerry on her Instagram account by uploading a split screen image of beautiful Miss Universe pageant contestants in bikinis above a picture of an overweight shirtless man drinking a beer on the couch with his dog.
The shirtless man was quoted saying, "Her nose is too big," in the photo.
The 28-year-old self-declared "queen" also shared a picture of herself looking great in a black bikini.
"Y'all r too much," Victoria captioned the photo, along with an emoji of a golfer. "Body by @naturalpilates & @carriespilatesplus."
The video of Matt's friend body-shaming Victoria clearly didn't phase her, or at least she's giving that impression.
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Victoria has actually been accused of being a "mean girl" and "bully" herself, which she denied during a Tuesday appearance on Good Morning America.
"It was all in good fun," Victoria 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."
Victoria added, "[The girls] knew me and knew my heart and knew that I never really have ill intent... I don't think my kindness really got to show through and I really do have a good heart."
When Matt greeted five new arrivals on the latest The Bachelor episode, Victoria called newcomer Brittany Galvin "a slore" -- combining the offensive slurs, slut and whore -- and later teamed up with Anna Redman in accusing Brittany of being an escort.
Victoria also had a hand in convincing Matt to eliminate Marylynn Sienna, whom Victoria had dubbed "rude" and "toxic," and pushing Sarah Trott out the door.
Victoria told Sarah that she was being calculative and manipulative prior to Sarah's exit, and the "queen" later referred to Sarah as "trash."
Victoria even snatched the crown right off newcomer Catalina Morales Gomez's head after Catalina introduced herself to Matt for the first time as the former Miss Puerto Rico Universe.
Because of Victoria's portrayal on The Bachelor, she has apparently received hate messages and even death threats.
Monday night's The Bachelor episode ended with Katie Thurston asking Matt to address all the drama and rumors circulating in the house considering an "escort" accusation has the potential to ruin a girl's reputation and career.
"If someone thinks they're going to bully their way to my heart, that's not how it works... and I need to get to the bottom of it," Matt said, as the broadcast ended on a cliffhanger.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
