Colton Underwood has made it clear that he has nothing to do with "The Bachelor" and does not want to be dragged into the controversy surrounding several of the franchise's alums who received PPP loans amid the COVID pandemic.
Earlier this week, it emerged that Underwood, as well as Tayshia Adams, Dale Moss, Arie Luyendyk Jr., and Lauren Burnham all received loans from the Paycheck Protection Program, which was designed to keep businesses afloat when lockdown regulations forced many to shut down, or imposed strict limitations upon how they functioned.
All the stars from the "Bachelor" nation receiving these COVID-era loans have come under scrutiny with many wondering why the reality TV stars even needed the money, but Underwood set the record straight in a since-deleted Instagram Story post.
"please stop lumping me in with the bachelor," the Season 23 star, who has come out as gay, wrote, according to Fox News.
"I don’t f–k with them anymore, they don’t f–k with me," he added. "Point blank."
In the post, Underwood included a screenshot of news coverage.
"Let me save you the click bait headline," he wrote.
"My non profit filed for a PPP because we cancelled our charity events for the year," he continued. "We help people living with CF. I don’t make a dime from my non profit."
The Colton Underwood Legacy Foundation received $11,355 through the pandemic relief program, People reported. In a statement, his rep explained that Underwood did not receive any of the money.
"Colton's nonprofit filed for the PPP loan after their annual fundraising events were canceled due to COVID. None of the PPP went directly to Colton," the statement read, according to TMZ. "In fact, Colton has never received any form of payment from the foundation, all of the proceeds go directly to people living with cystic fibrosis."
Luyendyk Jr., 39, and Burnham, 29, were approved for $20,830 for their company, Instagram Husband. Adams, 30, meanwhile received $20,833 for her media brand while Moss, 32, was approved for the same amount of money for his sole proprietorship, People noted. Adams' rep explained the PPP loan in a statement.
"The primary purpose of the [PPP] Loan is to help business owners retain their existing employees and to create jobs for Americans who are financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic," the statement read.
"As a business owner, television and podcast host, and brand ambassador, Tayshia obtained a PPP Loan that enabled her to hire an employee, to whom she offers market-based pay and benefits."
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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