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Warning: The Bachelorette Season 21 spoilers ahead. After news that they had split three months after the finale, Bachelor Nation fans had one question on their mind: Why did Jenn and Devin break up from The Bachelorette Season 21 and what happened to cause the end of their engagement?
Related: Which Bachelorette couples are still together?
Devin Strader, a 28-year-old Freight Company Owner from Rosenberg, Texas, was the winner of The Bachelorette Season 21 with Jenn Tran, according to Reality Steve. (Jenn was previously a contestant on The Bachelor Season 28 with Joey Graziadei, where she was sent home in Week 7.) Her runner-up was Marcus Shoberg, a 31-year-old Army Ranger Veteran from Cloaquet, Minnesota.
Related: The Bachelorette Season 21 cast’s zodiac signs, revealed
Jenn gave her final rose to Devin in The Bachelorette Season 21 finale and the two got engaged. Based on the relationship statuses of Bachelor Nation’s most recent three couples—Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar from The Bachelor Season 27; Charity Lawson and Dotun Olubeko from The Bachelorette Season 20; and Joey Graziadei and Kelsey Anderson from The Bachelor Season 28—there were high hopes for Jenn and Devin to also still be together after filming ended. Those hopes were dashed when Reality Steve reported that the two had split before The Bachelorette Season 21’s “After the Final Rose” even filmed. So what happened?
Why did Jenn and Devin break up from The Bachelorette Season 21?
Reality Steve reported the day The Bachelorette Season 21 finale aired on ABC that Jenn and Devin had ended their engagement and broken up. According to Reality Steve, Devin was the one who broke up with Jenn and that their split occurred sometime between mid-August and September 2024. That meant that Jenn and Devin were together for only around three months after The Bachelorette Season 21 finale finished filming on May 16, 2024.
Related: All The Bachelorette Season 21 spoilers, including what happened with Devin
“The rumors that have been circulating for a couple weeks now are true. Devin has ended the engagement and broken up with Jenn,” Reality Steve wrote in an Instagram post at the time. “I do not know the circumstances surrounding it in terms of when it happened or the reasoning behind it. Guess we will find that out tonight. Curious to see the reasoning for the breakup since Devin has love bombed Jenn ever since hometowns and now couldn’t even make it to the ATFR with her still in a relationship. Should be an interesting night.”
Though Reality Steve couldn’t confirm the reason for Jenn and Devin’s breakup, Devin had been involved in a lot of behind-the-scenes drama even before his split with Jenn. Reality Steve reported in July 2024 that there was drama on night one of The Bachelorette Season 21 that was edited out of the show because it would “not sit well with a lot of the audience.” According to the blogger, the drama involved a game of “Truth or Dare,” in which Devin was asked to name a conspiracy theory he believed. He allegedly responded, “I believe 9/11 was an inside job.”
Related: Meet The Bachelorette Season 21 cast
Reality Steve confirmed that Jenn was present when Devin gave his answer, but the scene wasn’t aired on The Bachelorette Season 21 most likely because Jenn picked Devin as her winner. Sam McKinney, a 27-year-old Contractor from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, who was sent home in Week 6 on Jenn’s Bachelorette season, also seemingly accused The Bachelorette producers of editing him unfairly while giving Devin a favorable portrayal in a since-deleted TikTok comment in July 2024. “Most felt like that and rightfully so. I even felt like that. I was incredibly disheartening to be portrayed in that fashion. Hopefully at the tell all the truth will come out,” Sam M. wrote in a since-deleted comment to fans questioning his behavior on The Bachelorette Season 21. He continued in another comment, “Oh and legally I’m not allowed to speak on it… and now I’m figuring out why.”
Many of Sam M.’s family members also defended him amid claims of The Bachelorette’s negative edit of him while seemingly accusing the show’s production of defending Devin. I’m ready for @bacheloretteabc to show allllll the context they’ve left out,” Sam M.’s relative, Olivia McKinney wrote, in a social media comment, according to TikTok account Zachary Reality.
“Crazy how they can cut out so much detail to make a person look shallow while making others look like a king,” another of Sam M.’s relatives, Seth McKinney, wrote. “He added in another comment, “crazy thing called producers and editing can make people see what they want not what actually happened.”
Related: The Bachelorette Season 21’s elimination order
Susan McKinney, another of Sam M.’s relatives, also shared a Facebook post in which she accused The Bachelorette of trying to “destroy” Sam M.’s character. “There is nothing real about ‘reality’ tv. To destroy someone’s character and manipulate the truth through editing is wrong on so many levels. Isn’t it interesting that the first night favorite is now being made into the villain?” she wrote. “There are several spoilers out there for who she chooses in the end that you can Google for yourself. Sam is a good guy regardless of how he is betrayed and I will no longer sit idly by and not speak up. Hey The Bachelorette it’s called free speech. At least mine is honest which is more than they can say.”
Jeff McKinney, Sam M.’s father, also wrote on Facebook, “I choose my words wisely. I have sat idly by this week watching my son a complete wreck on how he was portrayed. Sam has (mostly) been the favorite with the first impression rose, etc. The spoiler was revealed and (in my opinion) the network had to paint Sam as this horrendous guy in order for Jenn not to look like a complete idiot.”
He continued, “Now I know why the network offers free counseling for 1 year after the show. I feel this episode was all fabricated with cut and paste sentences and scenes. Can’t change what he said and how he said it but they can change the scene, script and context and totally change the delivery. That’s the way I feel. Feel free to share this. #ISTANDWITHSAM.”
Who is Devin from The Bachelorette Season 21?
Devin Strader, is a 28-year-old Freight Company Owner from Rosenberg, Texas, who now lives in Houston, Texas. His Instagram handle is @devin.strader. According to his Linkedin, Devin is the owner of F1 Freight Consultants, a “full-scale, dedicated Truckload, and LTL service provider,” that launched in March 2023.
“As a dedicated consultant firm, F1 strives to deliver both the most cost effective solutions, as well as tackling transportation & logistics challenges throughout North America. F1 Freight Consultants, LLC handles thousands of shipments monthly with streamline efficiency, and have proven to be a single source solution for all transportation needs,” Devin’s Linkedin reads.
Before F1 Freight Consultants, Devin worked as a Vice President in Acquisitions at the transportation company,t Shark Logistics, from 2020 to 2023. He graduated from Louisiana State University in 2019.
Read Devin’s official Bachelorette Season 21 biography and fun facts below:
“Devin is the full package and is so ready to meet his match. This business owner is 100% husband material and dreams of surprising his partner with romantic gestures throughout their relationship. Devin is extremely hardworking, passionate about his career, and proud of the business he’s built. When he’s not working, he loves running and spending time with his dog, Charlie — these two are a package deal. Devin is hoping his future wife is honest, kind, and embraces his big personality. He admits he’s a bit loud and loves to talk. Devin is truly here to find his person and hopefully return home with Jenn by his side.
Fun Facts:
● Devin ran a 200-mile relay race with his buddies.
● Devin loves eating shrimp tacos despite being allergic to shrimp.
● Devin’s mom is his hero.”
The Bachelorette airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC. Stream it on Hulu.
