The boyfriend of a former “The Bachelorette” star recently got a tattoo that generated a buzz among fans. Katie Thurston is dating comedian Jeff Arcuri, and some fans suspected his new tattoo was a nod to her reality television past.

Katie Thurston’s Boyfriend Got a Large Red Rose Tattoo

On July 21 Thurston shared a photo in her Instagram stories that she titled, “The final rose.” The photo she posted showed Arcuri displaying his new tattoo.

The tattoo was a large red rose that was placed on his inner forearm. Arcuri smiled as he displayed the tattoo, with the tattoo artist squatting next to him.

Both Arcuri and the tattoo artist shared the photo on their Instagram stories or page as well.

Did Arcuri specifically choose to get a red rose tattoo, which was rather large, as a nod to Thurston’s experience as “The Bachelorette”? According to an Instagram story of hers shared July 22, that was not the case.

Thurston shared a screenshot of a text conversation involving “Sam,” who seemed to be a sibling of hers. Sam asked, “Did he get that tattoo for you?”

“The Bachelorette” star replied, “No just a coincidence lol.”

Sam apparently wasn’t buying it, though. They initially replied, “…right.” Then they added, “The kids mentioned that they really like him today. Alexis said she hopes he’s ‘the one’ because your energy matches.”

Thurston noted that Alexis is her oldest niece.

‘The Bachelorette’ Fans Had Mixed Responses After Seeing Jeff Arcuri’s Rose Tattoo

Thurston went public with her romance with Arcuri via an Instagram post on June 14. Their relationship is a long-distance one, but they both travel frequently for their comedy shows and they seem to be making it work.

After Thurston and Arcuri posted about the rose tattoo, fans in “The Bachelor” subreddit shared their thoughts. While Thurston said it was just a coincidence that Arcuri chose to get that particular tattoo, it seemed Redditors weren’t entirely convinced.

“How long have they been together? Seems fast,” commented one Reddit user.

Another Redditor quipped, “But will he guard and protect her heart?”

As long-time “Bachelorette” fans may recall, the phrase comes from Ali Fedotowsky’s season. While filming, one of the guys, Kasey Kahl, got a tattoo as a grand gesture to her.

Kahl had told Fedotowsky he promised to always guard and protect her heart, and he got the tattoo to show her he truly meant it. Unfortunately for Kahl, he was eliminated long before the final rose ceremony.

Other Redditors made another “Bachelor” franchise tattoo reference.

“I know it’s just a coincidence and they’re taking advantage of the situation, but I loveee the idea that it’s the follow up to the ‘ciao’ tattoos,” one person wrote.

“He should ask Greg how his Italy tattoo is going,” added another Redditor.

A while after contestant Greg Grippo quit Thurston’s season of “The Bachelorette,” he started dating fellow franchise alum Victoria Fuller. The couple got “ciao” tattoos together while secretly vacationing together in Italy.

The issue with the Italian vacation at the time was that the finale of her season of “Bachelor in Paradise,” where she got engaged to Johnny DePhillipo, hadn’t aired yet.

During the April 22 episode of Jason Tartick’s “Trading Secrets” podcast, Grippo confirmed he and Fuller had split.

Another franchise fan shared Thurston’s screenshot about Arcuri’s rose being a coincidence. Someone replied, “lol seems like a poor attempt at embarrassment damage control.”

“[To be honest] I think he wanted the tattoo regardless of Katie’s affiliation with the bachelor franchise, but they obviously think it’s cute that there’s a connection too,” suggested another Redditor.

“Aww that’s so cute, he’s really sweet, I’m glad Katie is so happy with him,” another comment read.