The Summer I Turned Pretty’s Lola Tung Debunked A Bonrad Theory

The Summer I Turned Pretty fans have been hunting for Easter eggs like it’s their job. Their efforts, though enthusiastic, aren’t always accurate. Just ask TSITP star Lola Tung, who recently threw some cold water on #Bonrad shippers by debunking their prom dress theory.

The Easter Egg That Wasn’t

In The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3, Episode 4, Belly (Tung) goes wedding dress shopping at the mall. She ends up finding a simple white gown, and as she comes out to show it to Taylor (Rain Spencer) and Lucinda (Kristen Connolly), there’s a lavender, flower-embellished dress hanging behind her. Some fans noticed its similarity to her prom dress from Season 2 and wondered if it was “symbolic” given that she went to prom with Conrad (Christopher Briney) before agreeing to marry his brother, Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno).

In a Reddit thread speculating on whether or not the dress was an Easter egg, some fans thought it was an allusion to her first love. “Conrad ghost,” one fan wrote. Another viewer in a separate thread was adamant that including the lookalike gown in the scene was intentional.

And yet… it wasn’t, according to Tung. When asked about the possible Easter egg during a Nylon interview published on Sept. 3, she was surprised to hear the theory.

“I had no clue that was a thing,” Tung said. “I don’t think that was intentional.”

While her reaction won’t make Team Conrad happy, plenty of other clues suggest he could be Belly’s endgame. Of course, there are also Team Jeremiah hints. Tung is simply Team Belly, she told Nylon.

Avoiding The Noise

Tung admitted in the same interview that she largely stays away from fan theories and their takes on Belly. “I try not to be online too much because sometimes I can get really heated about stuff,” she said. “She’s just misunderstood! She’s trying to figure it out. Let her live!”

Previously, during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Briney and Casalegno on July 15, she further defended her character. “I’m Team Belly, always. … I think I’m all for her following her heart, and she’s doing what she needs to do in the moment,” she said.

Still, some TSITP fans have gotten carried away at times. Casalegno spoke to The New York Times about it in August, and he said he doesn’t check his Instagram anymore.

“I don’t think there’s a single human being in the world who can carry the emotional negativity to the degree that stuff like this happens,” Casalegno said. “And I think that’s why Amazon did a good job of stepping in and being like, ‘Hey, no bullying.’ Though, not really going so well.”