Kate Gallivan doesn't regret her comments about money. ET's Denny Directo spoke with the Bachelor in Paradise star following the show's reunion taping, and she reacted to criticism she received for showing interest in Hayden Markowitz because of his financial situation and questioning her relationship with Logan Palmer because of his.
"Can we just be real for a second? I am tired of having that conversation being so taboo and demonized," Kate told ET. "Money's not something that we should be afraid of. It is a factor in life."
The controversy began when Kate returned from her less than stellar date with Hayden, not exactly feeling sparks, but not exactly hating the fact that he had a successful business.
Though Kate committed herself to Logan shortly thereafter, she woke up questioning that choice, given that Logan can't afford Equinox, has two roommates, and wouldn't be able to foot the bill for a fancy vacation. Kate did choose Logan at Monday's rose ceremony, a decision she told ET was never really in doubt.
"Listen, I mean, I think we all understand that it's a TV show. There are elements that are shown and not shown," she said. "I always knew it was Logan. I wanted to be open-minded, give everybody kind of a fair shot, but it was always going to be Logan."
Given that she did pick Logan at that rose ceremony, Kate said that "obviously" money is "not everything," though she did maintain that "it is a factor."
"I was willing to be open and honest about that. I'm open to the feedback, the criticism, whatever, but, at the end of the day, I was being real," she said. "... These are the things you talk about with your girlfriends, like, sipping martinis behind closed doors. Of course it's a factor."
As for the criticism she received for her comments, Kate has no problem ignoring the haters.
"When you're in the public eye, when you're on a show and you're making decisions under duress, with lack of sleep, with alcohol, of course things can be misconstrued," she said. "But, at the end of the day, what I said was something that I stand by, and I think a lot of other people can relate to that."
While she doesn't regret what she said, Kate did want to clarify one point, telling ET, "Logan's a great guy. There's nothing wrong with where he is in life. I think those comments were just indicative of not so much the material facts, it's just more so about where he is in life versus where I am. I hope that's what translates. That's what I meant."
When it comes to how Logan felt as he watched Kate's comments play out on TV, he told ET that he's secure in who he is, so much so that it didn't bother him in the slightest.
"I'm super open about who I am. I shop at Costco... I love a good Costco hot dog. I wear regular clothes that I buy from the skate shop," he said. "I'm not pretending to be anybody, so there's no part of me that's ashamed of who I am. I'm very proud of who I am. I'm OK with that."
Season 8 of Bachelor in Paradise airs Mondays and Tuesdays on ABC. (No episode will air on Nov. 8 due to the election.) Follow along with ET's coverage of the show to stay up to date on all the drama on the beach.
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