The Bachelorette producers are again under fire for questionable decision-making in choosing suitors for the show. This time, it’s been revealed that the suitor who won the bachelorette’s heart, only to quickly break it, has a criminal history involving his former girlfriend.
Devin Strader won over Jenn Tran in season 21 of The Bachelorette, but it was all downhill from there. He broke up with her fairly quickly and moved on, gaining the ire of Jenn Tran and Bachelor Nation in the process.
Now, thanks to Reality Steve, it’s been revealed that back in 2017, Strader not only had a restraining order against him from his ex-girlfriend, but he also ignored it and broke into her home in Louisiana.
Entertainment Weekly acquired the arrest warrant affidavit, which reveals that Strader was her neighbor two doors down, and that when she was out of town he broke into her home and allegedly stole a diamond necklace he had once given her.
The unnamed woman also claimed that one day Strader came banging on her front door screaming, and did so several times throughout the day. That night, he made a fire in the street and allegedly burned the restraining order papers that he received.
The affidavit adds, “She also had a tire flattened in her vehicle and when it was getting changed, [Strader] came outside and began laughing at her.”
An unsealed version of the restraining order was also obtained by Entertainment Weekly, and it explains what initially prompted the restraining order. Strader’s ex-girlfriend wrote that he spit on her and threw his drink at her while attending an NBA game, and then put her in a chokehold while simultaneously covering her mouth.
Following the events of Strader ignoring the restraining order and breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s home, he was arrested for burglary and pleaded guilty to charges of criminal trespass and also to criminal damage to property of less than $500. He ultimately received one year of unsupervised probation.
Recently, Strader has suffered massive backlash from Bachelor Nation for his treatment — albeit non-violent treatment — of Jenn Tran. Shortly after Jenn proposed to him in the 2024 finale of the season, he quickly grew disinterested in her and, according to Jenn, would not respond to her texts for up to 18 hours.
ABC has yet to comment on why they even allowed Devin Strader on the show. Obviously, Strader’s arrest and guilt is public record. According to Deadline, Bachelorette producers told them that the arrest was indeed flagged, and that Strader gave an explanation for it. Apparently, that explanation was not the reality of the situation and, furthermore, if a contestant was arrested for such a crime, why would producers simply believe any excuse the contestant gave them? For that matter, why question him at all, and why not choose suitors who do not have arrest records?
This comes after producers made Jenn Tran sit with Devin Strader in the live finale of the show and watch their engagement, which created the single most gut-wrenching moment in the show’s history, and the most bizarre idea producers could have possibly come up with.
Those producers have long been under fire for allegedly being dishonest and manipulative to their leads and the suitors. Producers Claire Freeland, Bennett Graebner, and Jason Ehrlich recently told the LA Times that they are committed to treating those on the show better. This situation puts that commitment into question.
Prior to this recent news, Strader’s reputation has been nothing to be envious of, strictly based on his Bachelorette happenings. Now, his reputation is certainly shot, and that’s one bullet he can’t dodge. Thankfully, Jenn Tran did dodge a bullet by the name of Devin Strader, and she is all the better for it, no thanks to ABC’s producers.