ABC denies ‘supporting’ Bachelor Nation star James McCoy Taylor’s participation in the Capitol Riots

ABC has denied showing any form of ‘support’ for Bachelor Nation star James McCoy Taylor’s recent participation in the Capitol Riots in Washington, D.C.

A source close to the ABC told E! News on Tuesday that claims made by Taylor earlier this week regarding the network and its producers were ‘unequivocally false.’

ABC was directly referencing a tweet James published to Twitter on Monday where he referred to The Bachelor producers as ‘conservative’ and thanked the network for ‘having [his] back.’

‘Big thanks to #TheBachelor family for supporting me during this time… from top to bottom,’ James began, adding: ‘Conservative producers are the best!!’

‘Thank you @ABCNetwork @ABC & @BachelorABC for having my back while I legally supported our President.’

Taylor’s eyebrow raising tweet earned a ton of criticism online, with some of that criticism being thrown at ABC and their alleged praise for the Bachelorette alum’s actions. 

Tagging ABC, one Twitter user on Monday wrote: ‘Pretty sure you guy should be making an announcement soon otherwise you will be losing a lot of viewers fast.’

Another user also begged the network to ‘refute’ Taylor’s claim ‘ASAP,’ although they ‘doubt it’s true.’

Many Bachelor Nation fans responded to James’ tweet with some cut throat messages about his less than memorable appearance on the Bachelorette.

Taylor most famously appeared on JoJo Fletcher’s season of The Bachelorette, which aired on ABC in 2016.

‘You were on the Bachelorette? I must have missed that episode…’ tweeted one devout watcher of the series, with another responding to them in a agreement.

‘You were nobody on the show. ABC [and] anyone else did forget you as soon as you were gone,’ read one tweet, referencing to James’ elimination on The Bachelorette. 

Continuing to take digs at his celebrity status, one Twitter user asked James if his tweet was just ‘an attempt to stay relevant?’

To round out the online backlash, one The Bachelor viewer took Taylor’s tweet to be ‘sarcasm’ because they would ‘be pretty damn surprised if anyone at @ABCNetwork or @BachelorABC openly supports this POS.’

Adding: ‘I do hope they make a statement though to be sure.’ 

The January 6th attack on the US Capitol took place immediately following a ‘Save America’ rally held nearby which was presided over by Trump himself, during which he said, ‘We’re going to have to fight much harder’ and ‘You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.’

Days prior, Taylor used his Twitter to announce that he would be attending the Save America rally and encouraged his followers to ‘fight for a man who’s been fighting for you for 4 years.’

‘Take a bus. Drive. MSG me if you need a plane ticket… just don’t make an excuse,’ he tweeted. ‘See y’all there We’re with you, Mr. President @realDonaldTrump’