Laura Bileskalne made it clear that she remains on Luke Jones‘ side after his departure from season 2 of Below Deck Down Under.
“I don’t take s—t from who[ever] has not actually watched it. Don’t make up a preditor [sic] from someone who gave a HUG to a girl who willingly kissed 25 min ago. [Get] over yourself and your bs,” Laura wrote via her Instagram Story on Sunday, August 13.
The former stew included screenshots from the recent episode of Below Deck Down Under where Luke asked Margot Sisson if she was feeling a “9 out of 10” while she was passed out after a crew night out. Luke’s conversation with a nearly asleep Margot took place as production demanded he leave her room after he got into the bed naked.
During the back-to-back episodes, which aired on August 7, Luke was fired by Captain Jason the next morning. Laura, for her part, got dismissed after she claimed Margot was to blame for Luke’s departure. Laura’s unwanted advances at deckhand Adam Kodra were brought up to Jason as well, which he said contributed to her exit.
Amid the backlash, Laura initially issued an apology to her former costars.
“My sincere apologies to Adam, I did not realize I made him feel uncomfortable and no one should be put in that position,” she wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, August 8. “And to Margot to not been [sic] able to empathize. I was 29 when the show was filmed, 30 was my life-changer. I am 31 now and I am watching it as all of you, an entertainment show.”
Laura has since changed her tune after blaming Bravo for how they portrayed the situation.
“I will stay loyal to myself and my friend @lukebonesjones. I never do or ever will stand up for what is wrong. And you can not bent [sic] me. I am a hustler and you have nothing on me,” she continued on Sunday. “#Hatersgonnahate. And that’s on you.”
Luke, however, has largely remained tight-lipped about his controversial appearance on Below Deck Down Under. He has been sharing videos from the gym and of various adventures with his girlfriend. Days before viewers saw the consent scandal play out, Luke seemingly addressed his time on reality TV.
“It doesn’t Matter what they think about you because you don’t Care. Everything we Hear is an Opinion, Not a Fact. Everything we see is a Perspective. Not the Truth. Take Ownership and move forward,” he wrote in an Instagram post from Sunday, August 6, that has since been deleted.
Meanwhile, Margot has used her platform to publicly thank Aesha Scott for her support during the incident. (The chief stew brought Luke’s behavior to Jason’s attention and later told the captain about Laura’s questionable comments.)
“The way she recognized the vulnerability of the situation I was in and her courageous intervention on my behalf was both heroic and so admirable,” Margot wrote via Instagram on Tuesday. “I thank the universe for her every day, as well as the producers who quickly stepped in. Aesha, you have a heart of gold, I look up to you, and I will forever be grateful.”
Jason has also addressed the strong reaction to the episodes when he asked viewers to have more empathy.
“I’m sure you’re digesting episode six and seven as I am. I’ve had a flood of messages over the last 24 hours from people in similar situations, some not so lucky of the outcome, so my heart goes out to them,” he said in an Instagram clip on Wednesday, August 9. “I’d like to thank the production team for breaking the fourth wall, and stepping in. Then reforming and allowing Aesha to come to me in an authentic manner and us dealing with it as we would as captain and crew. … Look this happened over a year ago and again I’ll stress the people involved are all, hopefully, on a better journey to better themselves.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
