Amanda Stanton has returned to Bachelor in Paradise for season 4 and a lot of people have been eager to provide their unsolicited opinions about her presence in the franchise.
As a refresher, the 27-year-old single mom of two was a contestant on Ben Higgins' season of The Bachelor and later appeared on season 3 of Bachelor in Paradise. After her brief engagement to Josh Murray, she's returned to paradise with the hope that third time's the charm.
Starting in June, Internet trolls began criticizing Amanda for being a "bad parent." And, upon the season premiere last night, they were back out in full force. But fans aren't here for the mommy-shaming, and Bachelor Nation alum Evan Bass, who is also a single parent, is totally in Amanda's corner.
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Last night Bass, who recently married Carly Waddell, took to Twitter to defend Amanda. "All y'all talking shit about single parents going on paradise can kiss my ass," he wrote. "I wish all single parents could have the experience."
All y'all talking shit about single parents going on paradise can kiss my ass. I wish all single parents could have the experience..
— Evan Bass (@ebassclinics) August 15, 2017
Now Amanda's fans are rallying to her defense and it's encouraging to see their comments overshadowing the trolls' posts.
I'd give anything to have an experience like this! My kids want me to find love as much as I do! #over40/wkidsinparadice let's do this!
— Shannon Green Harris (@sghrrs925) August 15, 2017
She has been twice and had buck luck! Leave her alone! Single moms are superheroes! (And dads!) also married couples leave kids all the time
— Mandy Lockman Mazzol (@MandyLMazz) August 15, 2017
Haters gonna hateeeee! But they don't know. Everyone deserves to find love, don't care if you're single, divorce, etc. do you boos.
— Erin (@erinkcross) August 15, 2017
??????@amandastantonnn is a doll. I really hope she finds her special person. She deserves every happiness.❤️
— Candy (@bach_fan_3) August 15, 2017
When it was announced in June that Amanda was headed to Mexico, she responded to the single-parent shaming.
"I don’t normally like to address the trolls/mom shamers… but it’s so out of control!” Amanda wrote on Instagram. "I’d like to take a moment to clarify first of all that my kids DO have a father [ex-husband Nick Buonfiglio, from whom she split in 2015] that is part of their life. They spend time with him, too. So if you see a photo of me without my kids one weekend and comment something like 'mother of the year' or 'wow shouldn’t she be with her kids?' Well, there’s a VERY good chance that I can’t be with them because they’re with their dad."
"As far as Bachelor in Paradise goes, it doesn’t film for very long at ALL," she added. “I know it airs for 2 months… but it actually takes a lot less than that to film it. And alllllll the other days, weeks, months of the year, I am with [my kids]! I am fortunate enough to be able to work from home and spend more time with my kids than most parents. My kids are my entire world. I am doing my best to give them a great life."
Props to Amanda for sticking up for herself and refusing to be shamed into turning down an opportunity she wants to pursue. We hope that, like Evan, she finds an amazing partner on this season of Bachelor in Paradise.