Heavy/ABC Joan Vassos receives 'disturbing' Instagram messages.
During the debut season of “The Golden Bachelor” with Gerry Turner, Joan Vassos quickly became a fan-favorite contestant.
Vassos formed an early connection with Turner. Unfortunately, just as the sparks were starting to fly, she decided she needed to return home. Her daughter had given birth shortly before filming for “The Golden Bachelor” began, and she reached out to her mom for support when she realized she was struggling.
“The Golden Bachelor” star recently joined Trista Sutter and Bob Guiney for an episode of the “Almost Famous” podcast, and she revealed some interesting tidbits about her dating life after filming the show.
She shared she is receiving a lot of interest from men via social media messages. However, some of the men take things way too far by sending inappropriate messages and offers that Vassos isn’t interested in receiving.
Here’s what you need to know:
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During the December 19 episode of the “Almost Famous” podcast, Vassos talked about her experience on “The Golden Bachelor.” Toward the end, she shared some juicy tidbits about life after the show, specifically related to her efforts to start dating again.
Vassos’ husband died about three years ago, and she explained that before “The Golden Bachelor,” she hadn’t dated much. She tried to date about a year after her husband’s death, but it was too soon. She tried dating apps later on, but that didn’t feel quite right either.
Now that she experienced “The Golden Bachelor,” she is feeling more confident about dating. She talked with Sutter, Guiney, and “The Bachelor” star Ben Higgins about how difficult it is to try to date in her situation. She noted that connecting via social media seems to be the thing to do these days, and Higgins mentioned that was how he met his now-wife, Jessica Clarke.
Vassos explained that perhaps the most difficult part of opening herself up to someone who finds her via Instagram is the inability to vet the men. “I do look at all these [direct messages],” she noted, but she also has “a little bit of a fear factor” in not knowing who the men really are.
She doesn’t “want to waste this opportunity.” At the same time, she wants to figure out how to proceed safely. Vassos then revealed she has experienced just enough of receiving messages from men to validate her nervousness.
“I’ve had d*ck pics sent to me,” she shockingly revealed to the podcast co-hosts. Vassos clarified, “Many, no, not many, several though.” As Sutter, Guiney, and Higgins expressed their shock, “The Golden Bachelor” star added, “I can show you them on my phone.”
Some Men Want to be Vassos’ ‘Sugar Daddy’
Vassos noted that oftentimes, the messages start with men telling her how beautiful she is and then asking her if she likes younger men. She’ll reply something like, “No, not really, not my thing,” and then the naughty photos arrive. She also admitted it’s usually younger men who send those photos.
She then teased, “Let me tell you the other really disturbing thing that happens.” Vassos shared, “Men contact me and want to be my ‘Sugar Daddy.'”
The men angling for that type of connection “offer me many, many thousands of dollars a month or a week to just talk to them.” She notes that the men promise they aren’t looking for “sexual stuff.” She has not expressed an interest in any of these offers, though.
Vassos also mentioned that she does get sweet messages, sometimes from “girls that want me to date their father.” While she would still want to vet those people to a degree, she also suggested, “That is probably the safest way to go.”
So far, nothing has developed after a man slid into Vassos’ direct messages. However, the “Golden Bachelor” star seems genuinely eager to find love again and fans are eager to see it happen.