‘Bachelorette’ fans call out ABC for ‘cruel,’ ‘unnecessary’ finale after Jenn Tran was forced to watch proposal with ex Devin Strader

Heartbreak is one thing, having to dissect it on TV for the purpose of entertainment is another.

During the Sept. 3 live finale of The Bachelorette, it was revealed that leading lady Jenn Tran chose Devin Strader and — in a first — she proposed to him. Their happily ever after was brief. Through tears, Tran updated viewers that Strader ended the engagement a month ago, during a 15-minute phone call, because “he regretted getting engaged.”

Tran, the first Asian American Bachelorette, not only had to recap the still fresh breakup for ABC’s cameras — alongside the guy who broke her heart — but she was made to rewatch the proposal on live TV next to him. The “historic” proposal was played back with an inset of the livestream showing Tran crying, which fans of the show — and a former Bachelor — have deemed “cruel” and “unnecessary” on social media.

What happened during the finale?

Yes, it really was one of the most dramatic finales ever.

In Hawaii, Tran had family members and a friend meet her final two suitors. Strader showed up with gifts and proclamations about how much he loved Tran and had no doubts about their relationship and future. She said goodbye to suitor number two, Marcus Shoberg.

In what was a series first, the Bachelorette said that she wanted to choose herself, so she wanted to propose to Strader and picked out a ring for him. Before the proposal aired, host Jesse Palmer interrupted to say that Jenn needed to share what had happened since Hawaii.

In the live bit, Tran let the emotions flow — there was sobbing — as she recapped how after they left engaged, Strader became emotionally distant. They planned a visit to reconnect, but he backed out at the eleventh hour and called her to end the engagement over the phone. He said he had engagement regret and wanted to move on.

Strader was brought out and Tran was forced to confront him about the mess, saying she didn’t want to do it publicly. He said what he felt for her was real, but his feelings changed. (Here’s his whole yada yada.) Strader said he showed up for the live finale to make sure Tran was OK. She seemed pained by the whole thing and barely looked at him, just wiping tears pretty much the whole time.

While that sounds like a good stopping point for production — the heartbreak was captured! — Palmer then told Tran that they were all going to watch the proposal together. She responded, “Do I have a choice?” and the answer was clearly no because they played it. But it seemed next-level mean to have a live camera fixed on her to capture every tear and sniffle as the former couple watched it together.

What has been the reaction from Bachelor Nation and beyond?

Ben Higgins, who starred as Season 20’s Bachelor after appearing on The Bachelorette, wrote on X, “Jenn should have gotten up in the middle of proposal showing and gave everyone the peace sign. Walk out of that studio and never turned back.”

He called it “absolutely cruel and unnecessary to make her watch that back. Cannot believe it.”

Former Bachelorette Rachel Recchia called for “justice for my girl.”

An account called Bach Rants asked “WHY is the show making Jenn watch this proposal WHILE SITTING NEXT TO DEVIN this for real seems cruel. This feels mean. We easily could’ve watched this happen with her off-stage. Why are the producers treating her this way?”

Fans took to X to call out how unnecessarily exposed Tran was left seemingly all for ratings, especially after Bachelor producers Claire Freeland and Bennett Graebner gave an interview about their attempt to do better when it comes to protecting their leads of color after past failures.

A rep for the show has not responded to Yahoo Entertainment’s request for comment around the criticism over the finale.

This couldn’t come at a worse time for the franchise

This season of The Bachelorette was groundbreaking because Tran was the first Asian American lead.

During the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour in February, the show’s executive producers talked up their efforts to diversify the show amid the franchise’s history of racial issues.

However, there was immediate criticism this season due to the near absence of Asian American contestants during Tran’s season. Further, some contestants said they signed up thinking the Bachelorette would be someone else entirely. Tran herself said she wished there were more Asian men, calling the oversight “unfortunate” in a July interview.

To apparently right the wrongs, producers announced in August that a new Black Bachelor, Grant Ellis, would be the next season’s lead. They also started casting earlier to solicit a better pool of contestants.

During the finale, Tran’s proposal to Strader was supposed to be an empowering moment. She was asking him, making history. To then have it so twisted around — being made to watch it just to capture her emotional reaction — seemed a cruel twist of fate.

There were calls on social media to “cancel the whole franchise” over the way Tran was treated.

What’s next for Tran?

She appeared on Good Morning America Sept. 4 and said she was relieved it aired and the world now knows giving her a “clean slate” to “move on with my life.” She said last night was the “closure that I finally needed.”

Tran talked about how Strader was a different person off-camera — which she realized almost immediately. She doesn’t regret her proposal and hopes to find love again.

Part of moving on will be Tran participating in the new season of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars. That’s also an ABC show, so there was no criticism on GMA of the way the finale played out.

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