Why Was Everyone Such A Jordan Hater During JoJo’s Bachelorette Season?

As of 2020, JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rogers have been together for four years, but when Jordan Rodgers was on The Bachelorette, you'd be hard pressed to find a fan who thought he was a good fit for JoJo. Even the former Bachelorette herself had some doubts. It seemed like everyone was a little suspicious of Jordan for several different reasons. Hindsight is 20/20, and since the duo did make things work after leaving the show, it seems pretty clear that everyone was probably a little too harsh on him. Still, in the moment, it was hard not to be a little wary of some of the things being said about him.

After the first episode premiered, Jordan's ex-girlfriend accuse him of cheating on her and going on the show just to get famous in an Instagram post at the time. That colored people's opinion of him for months, because Jordan didn't (or perhaps couldn't) address the rumors until after the show ended. At that point, Jordan told People that all the accusations against him were "awful." He added, "It hurts because judgment and integrity are things that you build and try to maintain over a lifetime, and it just takes one person [saying something] out of malice that makes news."

Whatever the truth of it was, it clearly wasn't a Jed Wyatt situation.

Midway through the season airing, it was reported that Jordan had an account on the exclusive dating app Raya. Jordan shot down the rumors on Twitter, saying he cancelled the account immediately after leaving filming and that he hadn't been active on it since February, a month before filming began.

A big focal point of Jordan's time on JoJo's season was spent with the other contestants and fans at home wondering why Jordan and his famous football star brother Aaron Rodgers didn't seem to get along. On a date with JoJo ahead of hometowns, Jordan discussed the matter and said that Aaron had a complicated relationship with his entire family, and that he wouldn't be at the hometown date.

Fans wondered what might be under the surface of that estranged relationship, and Aaron later seemingly called his brother out for airing their dirty laundry on TV. "As far as those kinds of things go, I've always found that it's a little inappropriate to talk publicly about some family matters," Aaron told ABC WISN.

That Aaron interview happened while the season was still airing, which helped continue to paint Jordan in a negative light.

It wasn't just the fans who were unsure if Jordan was There For The Right Reasons™. He had conflicts with a couple of the contestants on his season as well. Chad Johnson, who, to be fair, fought with everyone, gave an interview to The Hollywood Reporter insinuating that Jordan was just on the show to get endorsement deals. "I mean the guy is just full of shit," Chad said. "I know within two seconds what somebody wants to do with things. And that dude just showed up trying to put on a show."

Jordan also clashed with James Taylor during filming. James called Jordan entitled and said he didn't want JoJo to be fooled by Jordan. At the time, JoJo confronted Jordan about the argument. When Jordan reassured her that he didn't think he was better than anyone else, she seemed satisfied with his response. But she did have moments of doubt throughout the season about Jordan's character.

As JoJo started to fall for Jordan, she told him that she was worried that he was "too good to be true." She added, "There's something about you that makes me a little nervous." Jordan tried his best to assure her that his feelings for her were not an act.

A couple of weeks later, JoJo told Jordan that she'd met one of his exes who hadn't had the best things to say about him. JoJo again mentioned that she was worried about things with him. Jordan said he wasn't that same person anymore, and he was ready to be with her. But for all his assurances, by the finale, she was still a little concerned. "He always seemed like a guy that could break my heart," she said. 

In that episode, Jordan also met JoJo's mom, who had similar worries. She said she was afraid that Jordan was a playboy who would break JoJo's heart, but Jordan promised that he wouldn't. "She's my best friend, and I want to wake up every morning with her," Jordan said.

As we know, he later proposed to his best friend and they've been together ever since.

Post-filming, JoJo talked to Entertainment Tonight about coming back to the real world and seeing all the rumors about Jordan. "I am so blown away with how many stories are just out there, and everything that I have seen," JoJo said. "It's just bizarre and garbage … I don't listen to that stuff." At that point, she'd already chosen Jordan, but their proposal hadn't aired. It was clear that whatever reservations she'd initially had toward him, they were gone. And she wasn't going to let fan or other contestant scrutiny get in the way of her happy ending.

If the two had broken up after filming, maybe we would have all felt justified in our suspicion of Jordan all season long. But since they're four years into a real romance together with a wedding on the way, it's for the best that JoJo was the one making the decision about who she wanted to be with, not the fans.