Welp, that didn’t take long. Hannah Brown (or Hannah B., as she’s known to Bachelor Nation) may just have been crowned the next rose-giver, but her season already has its first unofficial controversy. A new Bachelorette contestant is accused of sending women unwelcome messages on social media — “consistently,” no less. Potentially even more unsettling is the fact that the behavior of this suitor, Matt Dione, is purported to have gone on for quite some time.
The trouble for Dione began on Friday night, when a post by Twitter user @SamSmithburger went viral. In the post, she shares a series of screen grabs from her Instagram messages showing an entirely one-sided thread started by Dione. “This guy used to dm on insta consistently for like 2 years and now he’s a contestant on the new Bachelorette lmao,” wrote Smithburger. Despite the fact that the receipts show Smithburger didn’t engage Dione in conversation, it didn’t stop him from sliding into her DMs repeatedly. His remarks range from the mildly annoying (“I’m not giving up on you,” “Hey I’m still alive”) to downright entitled (“Rude AF sam I expect better from you”).
This guy used to dm me on insta consistently for like 2 years and now he’s a contestant on the new Bachelorette lmao pic.twitter.com/bhUuZsTKQG
— sam (@samsmthbrgr) March 16, 2019
And the drama doesn’t stop there, either. Piggybacking on the original post, a few other ladies shared stories about Dione in the comments. “I used to work with him n went on a few dates & he was crazy!!! I was 19 at the time & he was trying to get me a fake ID so he could lie to his friends abt my age & still responds to my friends snap stories when I’m on them saying how I’m a bitch & think I’m better than everyone,” claimed @ames033. A woman by the name of Victoria commiserated with Smithburger, writing, “Girl I dated him for a few months and he was crazy!” Moments later, Victoria realized, “Also looking at these receipts.. I dated him towards the end of 2017 very beginning of 2018 and this around the time he was messaging her.”
When a male fan suggested that perhaps Dione had changed and should be given a chance to find love with someone else, Twitter was quick to point out that some of the messages Dione sent Smithburger were dated only four months ago. It also doesn’t help Dione’s case that several other women came forward in the comments to share their unfortunate DM experiences with the now-Bachelorette contestant. However, it’s important to note at this point that we know as much about the women making these claims as we do about Dione. In other words, very little. So, these accusations should be taken with a grain of salt unless further verification is made available. Some fans have requested that all of the women making claims provide proof of Dione’s alleged behavior, which remains to be seen.
Still, this brand-new scandal-in-the-making underscores the fact that, while ABC is responsible for vetting contestants, it’s often fans who really do the work. Considering the network reportedly took “extra precautions” to ensure Hannah B.’s safety and happiness coming into her season, we’re not sure what Dione’s drama says about ABC’s actual priorities.
Chris Harrison, what say you?
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