‘The Golden Bachelorette’ Joan Vassos Received “D**k Pics” And Foot Fetish Requests — And Now Her Kids Monitor Her Phone

The Golden Bachelorette star Joan Vassos isn’t immune from the woes of the internet — particularly the “weird” and not so wholesome messages and pictures she’s received from those bold enough to slide into her DMs.

While speaking with Entertainment Weekly ahead of her upcoming season as the reality spin-off’s leading lady, she dished on being “inundated” with DMs from potential suitors after taking part in The Golden Bachelor, noting that she “had a hard time navigating that process.”

“On a dating app, they’re kind of vetted and you can see a profile,” she explained, adding that when it comes to DMs, ” they’re just total strangers messaging you.”

In fact, she revealed that “some of the DMs were weird.”

“I got dick pics,” she shared. “And I got people with foot fetishes. They wanted me to send them pictures of my feet and would pay me for it. One person offered to buy all the shoes that I wore on Golden Bachelor. It was scary.”

Vassos said that her children even stepped in to protect her.

“My kids were like, ‘Give me your phone, mom. We’re blocking all this,'” she recalled.

The 24 contestants selected to compete for Vassos’ heart this season were revealed earlier this week, and that list includes Bachelor alum Kelsey Anderson‘s father Mark.

Gerry Turner, who dated Vassos in The Golden Bachelor‘s inaugural season, congratulated her after she was announced as the Golden Bachelorette, telling her via a May 14 Instagram post that she “will be phenomenal as the new representative of a generation.”

“From one Golden to another… relax, breathe and enjoy,” he added.

The Golden Bachelorette premieres Sept. 18 at 8/7c on ABC.