All that glitters isn’t golden.
“The Golden Bachelorette,” Joan Vassos has been getting a lot of attention since she’s been in the spotlight – and not all of it has been good.
Vassos, 61, told Entertainment Weekly in an interview published on Wednesday that she’s been “inundated” with direct messages on social media.
“I had a hard time navigating that process. On a dating app, they’re kind of vetted and you can see a profile. [With DMs], they’re just total strangers messaging you,” she said.
Vassos added, “I didn’t really respond to those much. Or I would have little conversations and say, ‘Thank you, you’re so flattering,’ or whatever.”
She explained that none of those conversations “seemed to be anything that would really work out” and “some of the DMs were weird.”
“I got d–k pics. And I got people with foot fetishes. They wanted me to send them pictures of my feet and would pay me for it,” she said.
Vassos, who has four children and two grandchildren, said that her kids were horrified.
“One person offered to buy all the shoes that I wore on ‘Golden Bachelor.’ It was scary. My kids were like, ‘Give me your phone, mom. We’re blocking all this.’”
Vassos is a school administrator from Rockland, MD. She’s the lead on the first season of “The Golden Bachelorette,” a spinoff from “The Golden Bachelor,” which Vassos first appeared on.
She’s also a widow, as her husband of 32 years, John, died in 2021 from pancreatic cancer.
“The Golden” shows are spinoffs of “The Bachelor” franchise and feature older people looking for love.
“The Golden Bachelor” premiered in 2023 and featured Gerry Turner, who ultimately chose Theresa Nist. The couple split after just three months of marriage, and their divorce was finalized in June.
Vassos voluntarily left Turner’s season during the third week to be with her daughter, who had given birth.
At the time, she wrote on Instagram, “My journey to find love took a detour this week as I traded the mansion for motherhood and headed home to be with my family. Family comes first, period. Once a mother, always a mother, I’ll always choose my kids first. Thank you for all of your outpouring love and support, for not only me but also my daughter – everyone is now healthy and happy! As for me and my journey to love… guess we will have to see where it takes me next. Until then, stay golden.”
After she was announced as “The Golden Bachelorette,” Vassos told People, “I’m very picky about a man being a gentleman. Somebody with a big heart, somebody who is generous and also somebody who’s humble.”
Following the news, Turner posted a message to Vassos on Instagram.
“You will be phenomenal as the new representative of a generation,” he wrote. “From one golden to another … Relax, breathe and enjoy.”
“The Golden Bachelorette” premieres Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.