Sam M.'s Parents Accuse 'The Bachelorette' of Being "Fabricated" To Paint Him in a Negative Light

Every season of The Bachelorette has a villain, and even if there are more problematic guys on Jenn Tran's season than Sam McKinney (aka Sam M.), his parents aren't happy with his edit. In fact, they're so unhappy with the way he is portrayed that they took to Facebook to share their thoughts on what they believe is "cut and paste" editing.

But what did Sam M.'s parents say about Jenn? Because yes, her name was brought into the mix when both Sam M.'s mom and dad made posts regarding the season so far. And it's just one more thing on top of the hate Sam M. is already receiving IRL because of the claims that he dated and split up with someone shortly before filming the show.

In July 2024, shortly after information about Sam M.'s behavior on the show came out, Sam M.'s mom, Susan McKinney, took to Facebook to share how she feels regarding how Sam M. is portrayed on the show. In a since-deleted post, Susan wrote that she believes Sam M. was given an unfair edit from producers and that "Sam is a good guy regardless of how he is portrayed."

It's unclear what she is referring to from the show, but it could be behavior from Sam M. toward the other guys, or towards Jenn on their intense one-on-one date. Either way, it's typically a no-no for contestants to post anything major until the show is finished, and Sam M.'s parents' social media posts show that they didn't get that memo.

Sam M.'s dad, Jeff McKinney, also had some strong words to share on his own Facebook page, following the first few episodes of The Bachelorette, where Sam M. was seen as a villain and called a bully by some viewers. To Sam M’s dad, he was edited as a bad guy to make Jenn's decision at the end of the season easier for viewers to understand.

"I choose my words wisely," he began, in a lengthy post. "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."

While Sam M.'s parents have their own thoughts and opinions that are totally valid about their son, Sam M. hasn't done much to make things easier for himself on the show. He disregards Jenn's feelings and fears on their one-on-one date, and he seems to take no issue with fueling animosity with the other guys.

Outside of the show, there are rumors that Sam M. was dating a woman right before he was cast. Honestly, with all of that combined, and his parents' words about Jenn and The Bachelorette in general, Sam M. isn't winning over any new fans.

Watch The Bachelorette on Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.