Katie Thurston is demonstrating her ability to dish out shade just as effectively as she expresses romance. The past Bachelorette star took to Instagram this week to amusingly — and sharply — respond to a jab from one of her former contestants, Cody Menk.

“Remember this guy from my season? Me either,” Thurston, 34, joked on her Instagram Story Wednesday, August 6, next to a photo of Menk, 32, from her 2021 stint as the franchise’s leading lady.

While humorously saying she couldn’t quite place him, she added, “But he’s still here lurking on my page.” She concluded the post with a sweet yet salty goodbye: “Thanks for being a fan,” ending with a kissing emoji — along with a screenshot of the rude comment that prompted it all.

Menk had apparently popped up in the comments of Thurston and comedian Jeff Arcuri’s April wedding announcement to write, “Good couple! Both solid 5s,” punctuating it with a laughing emoji.

Thurston wasn’t about to let that one get under her skin. A few hours later, she shared a heartwarming counterpunch: a clip from the couple’s Off the Vine podcast appearance, where Arcuri gushed over his wife as she continues her battle with stage IV breast cancer.

When host Kaitlyn Bristowe asked what they’re most proud of, Arcuri didn’t hesitate: “I’m proud of how, mostly how, she’s not only going through this but, like, excelled through it.”

Thurston, holding back tears, replied, “He is something I’m most proud of. I will start crying. Like the way that he’s shown up. He doesn’t know how to show up for a cancer patient, especially one that’s his wife. He has just made so many sacrifices. … I’m so, so, so blessed.” She captioned the clip: “I hope you all find a @jarcuri in your life.”

Fans first met Thurston on Matt James’ season of The Bachelor before she stepped into the Bachelorette spotlight for Season 17. Menk, whose most memorable moment was arriving in a limo with a blow-up doll named Sandy, lasted just two weeks before being sent home.

Thurston, meanwhile, went on to hand her final rose to Blake Moynes, though the engagement ended in 2021. After a brief relationship with fellow contestant John Hersey, she met Arcuri in 2024, got engaged that August, and tied the knot in March 2025 — just weeks before publicly sharing her cancer diagnosis.

Even with the health challenges ahead, Thurston told Off the Vine listeners she’s looking toward a hopeful future: “My hope for the future is that, whether it’s this year or next year, I’ll be like, ‘Hey, guys, there’s no evidence of disease.’ Even though technically, stage IV is not curable… I’m very optimistic.”