Colton Underwood talks about being “touched inappropriately” by a fan

THE BACHELOR - "2307" - The pressure mounts as Colton and the seven remaining women return to the U.S. and his hometown of Denver. He decides to meet with popular Bachelor Ben Higgins for his advice, sharing his fear of being blindsided by a bachelorette who is not as serious as he is. Tayshia and Colton escape to explore Denver, but she shares some earthshattering news with him that shakes his world. Caelynn meets Colton on the ski slopes for a day of fun. Country music star Brett Young builds the romance with a surprise concert for the couple. Colton and Hannah B. look into the future by going house hunting and meet up with ColtonÕs parents at the last stop. The four women who are left travel to a cozy rest stop in the mountains with the Bachelor, but a shaken Colton is faced with deciding which women he can trust for this next important step of visiting their hometowns. One woman throws another under the bus as everyoneÕs emotions run high, and it is left to Colton to make his toughest decision yet. Will he live to regret it? Find out on "The Bachelor," MONDAY, FEB. 18 (8:00-10:00 p.m. EST), on The ABC Television Network. (ABC/Josh Vertucci)COLTON UNDERWOOD
THE BACHELOR - "2307" - The pressure mounts as Colton and the seven remaining women return to the U.S. and his hometown of Denver. He decides to meet with popular Bachelor Ben Higgins for his advice, sharing his fear of being blindsided by a bachelorette who is not as serious as he is. Tayshia and Colton escape to explore Denver, but she shares some earthshattering news with him that shakes his world. Caelynn meets Colton on the ski slopes for a day of fun. Country music star Brett Young builds the romance with a surprise concert for the couple. Colton and Hannah B. look into the future by going house hunting and meet up with ColtonÕs parents at the last stop. The four women who are left travel to a cozy rest stop in the mountains with the Bachelor, but a shaken Colton is faced with deciding which women he can trust for this next important step of visiting their hometowns. One woman throws another under the bus as everyoneÕs emotions run high, and it is left to Colton to make his toughest decision yet. Will he live to regret it? Find out on "The Bachelor," MONDAY, FEB. 18 (8:00-10:00 p.m. EST), on The ABC Television Network. (ABC/Josh Vertucci)COLTON UNDERWOOD

You can look, but don’t touch. The Bachelor Colton Underwood weighs in on what it was like to be touched inappropriately by a fan.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that the contestants and stars of The Bachelor are real people. We become invested in their fights and rivalries, in their successes and monumental failures. Now, though, the Bachelor Colton Underwood is speaking out. After claiming that he was “touched inappropriately” by fans, he is reminding Bachelor Nation that he is more than a stock character.

According to an Instagram story the star posted, Colton was at an event for his Legacy Foundation when one of the over-eager fans crossed a personal line. He left the event early and it sounds like the incident really disturbed him. He didn’t give details on exactly how he was touched, but his reaction leads us to believe that someone was seriously out of line.

“I didn’t sign up to be a piece of meat or a zoo animal,” Colton Underwood stated.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – AUGUST 07: Colton Underwood attends the Disney ABC Television TCA Summer Press Tour at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on August 7, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – AUGUST 07: Colton Underwood attends the Disney ABC Television TCA Summer Press Tour at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on August 7, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

We can’t blame Colton for his big reaction. We would probably feel just as violated!

The incident is very timely for his season of The Bachelor. On a one-on-one date, contestant Caelynn Miller-Keyes shared a traumatic story of her own sexual assault in college (read all about that here). Colton was able relate, telling her about how he had dated someone who had experienced a similar situation.

It was nothing short of a landmark moment for The Bachelor. Colton Underwood and Caelynn were allowing the series to have its own Me Too moment, something that put all those Bachelor nay-sayers in their place.

Consequently, Colton’s response to inappropriate contact at the Legacy Foundation event was perfectly in line with the brand he has developed over his season of the series. He was true to who he was and stood up for his own autonomy. He is proving that we have a right over our own bodies; he’ll show us by example.