Bachelor Nation spent the entirety of season 24 salivating over the theory that Peter Weber had secretly fallen for his The Bachelor producer Julie Laplaca.
But the lady at the center of the theory took to her personal Instagram page on Friday to put the salacious rumor to rest.
‘Yes that was @pilot_pete in the tan jacket, no we didn’t kiss at midnight,’ captioned LaPlaca who shared a photo taken of herself and Weber during a New Year’s Eve celebration.
Just friends: The Bachelor producer Julie LaPlaca took to Instagram on Friday to deunk the rumor that she and Peter Weber were romantically linked
She continued: ‘But whoever ends up as his copilot for life is one lucky lady, because this guy has a heart of gold.’
The picture was a different variation of a similar portrait shared by LaPlaca in January that had initially sparked the full fledged fan rumor.
In the original pic, Weber can be seen in that same brown peacoat with his back turned to the camera as LaPlaca flashed her million dollar smile.
The LaPlaca fan theory was heightened further when host Chris Harrison posted a selfie with Weber, LaPlaca and another crew member on an escalator during their show-related travels.
Where it all began: The rumor began when LaPlaca shared this photo on New Year’s Eve that featured Weber in the background donning his brown peacoat
Riding solo: With no romance with LaPlaca in sight, Weber leaves the show a single man after breaking the heart of contestant Hannah Ann Sluss and ending his relationship with his ‘final rose’ recipient Madison Prewett; Weber pictured during the The Bachelor: Season Finale Part 2 on Monday
At the time of the post, ABC chimed in and told ET: ‘Well, I hate to get in the way of a good rumor, so I’m not going to confirm or deny about whether he ends up with a producer!’
During a sit-down interview with David Spade on Thursday, Harrison made his own efforts to debunk the rumor.
‘Yeah, we can categorically say that’s a big no,’ said Harrison. ‘Julie is the producer. Nothing there.’
But in February, Harrison was much more aloof about the rumor, when questioned by Access Daily hosts Kit Hoover and Mario Lopez.
Rumor mill: The most recent rumor began when Harrison posted a selfie with Weber, LaPlaca and another crew member on an escalator during their travels
Fan theory: Last month, Bachelor host Chris Harrison chimed in on suspicions that Peter Weber ends up choosing one of the show’s producers Julie LaPlaca
Harrison said during the appearance: ‘We spend a lot of time together. We travel the world together.
‘Julie, an amazing, talented, smart producer that works for us, works on the show, so she’s with Peter and she’s with all of us.’
He added: ‘I’ll just say this, it’s an intimate relationship. You spend that much time together, we all get close… sometimes, those lines get blurred.’
A possible romance with LaPlanca was all had fans to bank on after Weber revealed during After The Final Rose on Thursday that he and Madison Prewett had no plans to pursue a ‘post-Bachelor’ relationship.
It is over: Weber revealed during After The Final Rose on Thursday that he and Madison Prewett (pictured) had no plans to pursue a ‘post-Bachelor’ relationship
Weber took to Instagram to express his gratitude towards the show and its loyal followers, as well as the women he got to know along the way.
‘Believe me this was not easy for either of us to be ok with, but after a lot of honest conversations, we have agreed that this is what makes most sense for the two of us. The love and respect I have for Madi will continue to endure,’ captioned the season 24 hunk.
During the show’s season finale, which aired Monday, Weber revoked his engagement with contestant Hannah Ann Sluss in order to ‘give his relationship with Madison another shot,’ according to E! News.
Woman scorned: During the show’s season finale, which aired Monday, Weber revoked his engagement with contestant Hannah Ann Sluss (left) in order to ‘give his relationship with Madison another shot’