'The Bachelor's Cassie Randolph is Harassed on Instagram After Colton Underwood Reveals Coronavirus Diagnosis
By Lillian Marx
When former Bachelor Colton Underwood revealed that he had tested positive for Coronavirus, he used his public platform to encourage responsible action against the spread of the pandemic. Despite his words of reassurance, he and girlfriend Cassie Randolph have sadly been harassed online over the diagnosis.
Cassie used her Instagram Story to share some of the hateful messages she had received. “Your [sic] infecting our city!” read one grammatically incorrect DM. “Its a small town and when you dumb f***s leave isolation you put us all at risk!”
“H.B. is a small town!,” wrote another harasser, referring to Huntington Beach in Southern California, where the couple are quarantining. “I[']d run and hide! dumb b***h.”
Cassie responded to the messages by reiterating that she and Colton have been away from the public. “We have been social distancing,” she wrote. “And now that we know that he is positive, we are not leaving.” She ended her post with a plea for positivity and mutual support: “Be kind, please. Spread unity and kindness instead of negativity and hate.”
Bachelor Nation at large is facing an unprecedented challenge from Coronavirus. Production on Clare Crawley’s season of The Bachelorette has been postponed, and international filming locations cancelled. There are also rumors that Bachelor in Paradise may not take place this year.
Meanwhile, current and former cast members face an onslaught of social media hate. The Bachelor: Women Tell All addressed the issue, spotlighting a discussion between host Chris Harrison and former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay about the harassment that the women on the show endure. Bachelor Peter Weber has himself been a target, leading him to disable his Instagram comments.