Former star of The Bachelor, Nick Viall says he’s not trying to date Demi Burnett. The franchise’s resident bad boy expressed concern that his privacy has been violated in wake of the gossip.
Viall has been tabloid fodder throughout his time in Bachelor Nation. His relationship with Andi Dorfman ended when she chose to get engaged to Josh Murray in her season’s finale. Viall then made a play for season 11 Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe, only to be dumped by her in the finale as well. He followed those rejections with an appearance on Bachelor in Paradise, and later, as The Bachelor in season 21. His engagement to finalist Vanessa Grimaldi ended more than a year later. In the time since, he’s been linked to actresses January Jones and Rachel Bilson. Viall has also been vocal about his pursuit of an acting career after appearances on Dancing With the Stars, General Hospital, and the ABC sitcom Speechless, to name a few.
Viall recently spoke out on his Viall Files podcast (via People) against the allegations that he and Burnett are an item. Burnett recently ended her engagement to Kristian Haggerty after proclaiming love for her on Bachelor in Paradise. Since the breakup, Burnett has been active on social media, attending holiday parties with Viall. He’s even went to Instagram to post photos of him and Burnett together.
However, he is adamant that the two are just good friends and seemed to take offense to the underhanded way the rumors have surfaced. News of his friendship with Burnett was exploited in an online forum. Viall revealed, “I live with someone who is spying on me and going on Reddit.” He continued, “Apparently, everyone thinks I am dating Demi [Burnett].” He went on to explain, “Demi is a close friend. She’s a dear friend. We’ve become very close, I care very much about her.” But his denial didn’t stop there. He continued by saying, “Demi has, in fact, been to my place, as friends sometimes do go to each other’s places.”
Viall and Burnett have proven that they’re good friends. Even if they are secretly dating, clearly they don’t want the public to know – at least not yet. Viall’s public track record with women isn’t the greatest, particularly women within The Bachelor franchise. As well, Burnett just ended a very public relationship after coming out on national television as a member of the LGBTQ community. She may be feeling the need to avoid judgment from people who take issue with her rebounding with a man. Either way, their business is their business. If (or when) Burnett and Viall choose to make a public declaration about their relationship that differs from the standard, “we’re just friends,” they’ll do so of their own volition.
