Katie Thurston Silences Ex-Contestant’s Wedding Dig as She Shares Powerful Breast Cancer Update

Reality TV has seen its fair share of drama, but Katie Thurston’s latest Instagram Story? Chef’s kiss.

The former Bachelorette—who’s been courageously sharing her breast cancer battle—wasn’t about to let a rude comment from ex-contestant Cody Menk slide.

“Good couple! Both solid 5s,” Cody wrote under a wedding photo Katie posted with husband Jeff Arcuri. The since-deleted comment was quickly screenshotted and reposted by Katie on August 6.

Her clapback? “Remember this guy from my season? Me either. But he’s still here lurking on my page. Thanks for being a fan.”

Bachelor Nation did what they do best—defend their own. One fan commented, “Where’s Cody? I just wanna talk…” to which Katie cheekily replied, “Blocked so I’ll never know now.”

Mic drop.

But this wasn’t just a petty Instagram moment. It came amidst one of the most vulnerable, powerful chapters in Katie’s life.

Back in February, Katie publicly revealed she had been diagnosed with stage 3 invasive ductal carcinoma—a form of breast cancer. By March, scans showed it had already metastasized to her liver, making it stage 4.

Still, she’s handled it all with unmatched grace, grit, and yes—some humor.

Katie first found a lump during the summer of 2024. She chalked it up to muscle soreness or hormonal changes.

"I discovered it myself," she later said. “Thought it was my period. Maybe just soreness from working out.”

Because she had a benign cyst removed from the same area at age 20, she assumed this was no different. But after the lump didn’t go away, she decided to get checked.

Her advice now? “Don’t wait.”

Her path to diagnosis included an ultrasound, mammogram, and finally a biopsy.

"Only then can they confirm it’s cancer," Katie explained in a March Instagram video.

And once the news was in, it hit hard.

"The worst feeling I’ve ever felt," she told Good Morning America. "You’re so devastated. It’s shocking. As a 34-year-old woman, you're just not prepared."

Rather than let the news stop her life, Katie and her partner, comedian Jeff Arcuri, decided to fast-track both their wedding and family planning.

In March 2025, they tied the knot in a sweet, low-key backyard ceremony in New York City. Parents, their dog Charlie, and a ton of emotion were present.

“It was so sweet,” Katie told Us Weekly. “He just said, ‘I’ll marry you tomorrow.’ And he did.”

Jeff shared his own reason: “I just wanted to be able to say, ‘That’s my wife in the hospital.’”

Before beginning chemo, Katie opted to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) to preserve her fertility.

She retrieved 17 eggs. Of those, 6 fertilized. Only 3 made it to blastocyst stage. After testing, 2 embryos were frozen.

Her message? “This is the reality of IVF.”

Chemo wasn’t easy.

"I’m losing my memory," she confessed in June. “At customs they asked, ‘Where are you coming from?’ and I just... blanked.”

But there’s good news, too.

In July, Katie revealed scans showed her tumors were shrinking.

"This is amazing news and I am so relieved!"

She’s now on a lifetime treatment plan—but optimistic.

“I’ll likely be on meds and monthly injections for life, but I’m here. I’m grateful.”

Katie is now using her story to encourage other young women to get checked early. “I waited. Don’t wait.”