Former Bachelorette Trista Sutter has shut down speculation that her 18-year-old son, Max, is expecting a baby.
“I just need to clear something up,” Trista, 52, said in a Wednesday, October 8, Instagram video. “Ryan [Sutter, my husband] and I were sitting on the couch last night watching the [Colorado Avalanche] game, and I got a text from a friend. Her daughter used to date my son, Max.”
According to Trista, she previously shared photos of Max and his then-girlfriend via social media.
“Those pictures have been used for clickbait. Have you heard the news? Well, I did last night,” Trista quipped, referring to the recent rumors that Max’s now-ex is pregnant. “My first reaction [was] laughter. My second reaction — anger. The biggest reason for that is that it’s a lie.”
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Trista — who shares Max and daughter Blakesley, 16, with husband Ryan, 51 — further shut down any pregnancy claims as “fake news.”
“It’s one thing if it’s [about] me, I can just ignore it because I know it comes with the territory,” Trista added. “It’s another thing that it’s my children. Don’t mess with their future or their present.”
She continued, “Let me clarify: I’m very much looking forward to becoming a grandma and would, of course, support my children, but I’m hoping that it’s maybe a little farther down the road.”
Trista further stressed that it’s “not OK” that one of Max or Blakesley’s school friends or potential employers could read the rumors and then judge them based on inaccurate perceptions.
“I’m not OK with people making up lies and posting it on social media for their own benefit,” she said. “I don’t know what to do. I know you can report different pages to Facebook for bullying [and] harassment. I know I could hire a lawyer and go after them for defamation. I did want to come on here and tell you guys face-to-face … that I want you to not always believe everything you read. There is a chance that it is not true — especially if it is on a Facebook page called ‘A Bachelor News.’ Just be careful with what you read.”
In her Instagram caption, Trista also asked her social media followers to ignore or block any online accounts spreading the pregnancy claims.
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“Ignore/block/report/sue. That is the question. Mama bear Sutter wants to know, not only for me and my kids but for Max’s ex-girlfriend,” Trista wrote. “But please don’t go click on their page and give them even more attention! I know they aren’t worth the energy (or money for that matter!) and I should just ignore, but when you’re making up lies about my children … that’s another story entirely.”
Trista met her husband, Ryan, during the first season of The Bachelorette when it aired in 2003. They got married later that year before eventually welcoming their two children.
“We’ve been married for 21 years,” Trista exclusively told Us Weekly in January, reflecting on her relationship. “The show was on a really long time ago, and the fact that people still care was very humbling to me and very sweet.”
