Fans are furious that “The Bachelorette” Jenn Tran was made to watch Devin Strader propose to her live on air Tuesday night, about a month after he allegedly broke off their engagement and ignored her over a 15-minute phone call.
Tran made history as the first lead actress to propose to the season winner rather than to a finalist, something never before seen in the Bachelorette franchise, but their engagement didn't last long.
During the live finale, host Jesse Palmer called Tran onstage where she tearfully revealed that they had broken up over a month earlier, and forced Tran to explain what had gone wrong before producers aired the proposal.
“He basically said he didn't love me anymore, he didn't feel the same way he did before, he felt something was wrong from the moment he proposed. He regretted getting engaged,” a sobbing Tran told the audience.
Tran accused Strader of ignoring her messages and “ghosting” her for the past month.
“He didn't want to go to couples counseling,” the reality TV star said. “He didn't want to fight for the relationship anymore. It was over.”
Palmer invited the 28-year-old cargo company owner onto the stage and accused him of “clubbing” and following new girls on Instagram, like former “Bachelor” contestant Maria Georgas, who she said on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast in April. She turned down the lead role Before they offered the role to Tran, he was a producer on “The Bachelorette.”
“It completely invalidated our entire relationship,” the first Asian American “Bachelorette” told Strader.
“I've disappointed you. There's nothing I can say other than what you know, but everything I felt was true,” he replied.
Strader said he had “a lot of doubts” about their relationship when he left the show and that he “wasn't able to meet” what Tran wanted, but didn't specify what her expectations were.
Palmer asked Tran, 26, if she was prepared to accept the proposal, to which she replied: “Do I have a choice?”
As the proposal aired, the camera panned to the bottom of the screen to show Tran crying next to Strader as he proposed to his ex-partner in a livestream.
Social media users slammed the show's producers for making her re-enact the emotional moment live on air.
“Why is the show showing this proposal while having Jen sit next to Devin? I think this is so cruel,” one social media user wrote to X.
“She was already humiliated by Devin and now the show humiliated her even more by showing the proposal scene,” another person wrote on Reddit.
As Jen sobbed live on air, the show continued airing the proposal, saying, “You didn't propose to me. I chose to choose myself on this journey. I am the best version of myself when I'm with you,” before pulling out a ring and placing it on Strader's finger.
He also proposed to her seconds later.
The camera then cuts back to Ms Tran still crying and sniffling as the former couple sit in silence.
Palmer urged her to “feel empowered” from the moment, saying, “You may not have found that great love, that love you were looking for, yet, but you've shown us all what it means to be a strong, powerful woman.”
