Controversial “Bachelorette” contestant Jed Wyatt says his loved ones have received threats after an ex-girlfriend claimed she and Wyatt were still involved when he signed up for the show.
Ever since ex Haley Stevens came forward, the Tennessee-based singer-songwriter and his family have been targeted online and at their homes, he wrote on Instagram, “affecting all of our mental and physical health.”
“It goes beyond what is said online,” Wyatt, 25, wrote on Instagram. “Threatening letters and phone calls have been sent to our homes. My parents and sister are being verbally attacked in public.”
Wyatt, one of the final four suitors vying for “Bachelorette” Hannah Brown’s heart, came under fire last month after his ex alleged the musician saw the ABC series as a platform for his burgeoning career.
“He told me [early on] that he had applied,” Stevens said in an interview with People. “He said, ‘It’s probably not going to happen, but it’s a huge opportunity. I’m only doing this for my music.’ He only did it for his career.”
Though Wyatt spoke about the notion of a platform to Brown, 24, during an episode this past season, Stevens claimed she and Wyatt had been dating for four months, believing their relationship would survive reality TV.
“We spent the night together the night before he headed to LA,” Stevens said of Wyatt. “He told me [the show] was just an obstacle and we’d be stronger on the other side because of it.”
In Wyatt’s Instagram post, he asked fans for “patience and kindness” until he is “able to speak openly.”
“I beg you to remember what seems like a harmless action is damaging to real people. I want to thank all of you who have reached out or reserved judgement until I am able to speak openly and I can only ask for your patience and kindness until then,” he wrote.