Entertainment

Why You Won't Hear Aly Raisman Talking About Her Ex Being On 'The Bachelorette'

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Reality TV is supposed to provide a sense of escapism, but that's kind of hard to achieve if your ex is on the show you watch. As her ex-boyfriend Colton Underwood competes on The Bachelorette, this bizarre scenario could be happening to Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman. But what Aly Raisman thinks of Colton on The Bachelorette is something she's keeping to herself. The three-time gold medalist hasn't publicly commented about her former boyfriend appearing on the reality TV franchise. And based on Raisman's already massively impressive résumé, it seems the 24-year-old has more important things to worry about.

While The Bachelorette addressed the drama of Colton dating Tia head-on during the Week 3 spa day date, Raisman hasn't been referenced directly by her football player ex. Colton did tell Becca about the heartbreak he experienced when his ex-girlfriend wouldn't say she loved him and eventually dumped him. And based on the timing, it stands to reason he was talking about Raisman.

Colton memorably asked Raisman out publicly in August 2016 after she had competed at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The couple dated, went to public events together, and even discussed their relationship openly with Us Weekly. But in June 2017, Colton told the Peoria Journal Star that they had broken up.

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Raisman is active on social media, but she hasn't mentioned her ex being on The Bachelorette on either her Twitter or her Instagram. She also hasn't made any comments to the press. And considering her relationship with Colton was personal, that completely makes sense that she's taking the high road and staying private about the subject — even if Colton kind of isn't.

As for people in Raisman's inner circle, only one fellow Team USA gymnast has spoken publicly about Colton. Final Fiver Laurie Hernandez acknowledged Colton being on The Bachelorette to OK! in a Q&A. Hernandez said she "sort of" watches The Bachelorette, but that she and Raisman "don't talk about that." But she did add, "It's like girl code, we're all Team Aly," so that gives some insight on where Raisman's friends stand on the subject of Colton.

Although Hernandez made it seem like their friend group isn't too focused on Colton being on The Bachelorette, Raisman is definitely familiar with the franchise. In fact, she's friends with former Bachelor Sean Lowe. When she was on Dancing With The Stars Season 16 in 2013, Sean Lowe was also on the dancing competition show. According to their interactions on social media, Raisman became fast friends with Sean and his now-wife Catherine Giudici Lowe. Sean even called Raisman his "lil' sis" in a tweet.

After Sean was eliminated on Dancing With The Stars before her, Raisman blogged about her relationship with The Bachelor stars for PARADE. Raisman wrote:

"I love Sean Lowe, so I'm really sad to see him go this week. I think he has such a great personality and he's so fun to be around. We've gotten really close and I've really, really enjoyed getting to know him. I've hung out with both him and Catherine Giudici and they're both so down-to-earth and sweet. They're such a cute couple. Whenever I'm with them, I'm always hysterically laughing. Luckily, Sean will still be in L.A., so we'll still be able to hang out a little bit."

As one of the few success stories of Bachelor Nation, Sean and Catherine often provide commentary on the Bachelor shows on Twitter. But they haven't been tweeting that much about this season and neither of them has mentioned their friend's ex-boyfriend appearing on the show. That could be out of respect for Raisman — or due to the fact that they just had their second child in May and are a little bit too busy for The Bachelorette this season. Either way, you won't get any intel into what Raisman thinks about Colton on The Bachelorette from them.

Whether or not Raisman is following her ex as he competes for Becca's heart, she has obviously been doing fine since their split. She published her book Fierce: How Competing For Myself Changed Everything in 2017. She has continued to advocate for sexual assault survivors after speaking out about her own sexual abuse perpetrated by Team USA physician Larry Nassar. And she recently appeared in Maroon 5's "Girls Like You" music video where she wore a shirt that said, "Always Speak Your Truth."

As for her current romantic life, Page Six speculated in April that Raisman is dating Bruins player Tim Schaller. The athletes have neither confirmed or denied the rumor. But Raisman clearly has a full life outside whatever Colton is doing on The Bachelorette. So while it might not be the most comfortable sensation to have your ex discussing you on national television, Raisman is doing what she has always done and rising above it.