After her time on The Bachelor, Melissa Rycroft reconnected with Tye Strickland — and the couple have been going strong ever since.
Rycroft and Strickland met at a mutual friend’s party in 2006. The twosome dated on and off before Rycroft starred on season 13 of the ABC dating show. During the finale — which aired in March 2009 — Rycroft got engaged to Bachelor Jason Mesnick. However, during the After the Final Rose special, Mesnick ultimately broke up with Rycroft to pursue runner-up Molly Malaney, whom he later married in 2010.
After ending her engagement to Mesnick in January 2009, Rycroft started talking to Strickland again, and the twosome announced their engagement that June. The couple tied the knot in December 2009 and went on to welcome daughter Ava Grace in 2011, followed by son Beckett Thomas in April 2014 and son Cayson Jack in May 2016.
Rycroft and Strickland, who cohost the “Logically Irrational” podcast, celebrated their 15th year anniversary in December 2024.
“We’re not old enough to have been married 15 years and have 3 children….,” Rycroft wrote via Instagram alongside a photo of the duo.
Keep scrolling to learn more about Rycroft and Strickland’s relationship through the years:
2006-2008
Rycroft met Strickland at a mutual friend’s party. The pair dated on-and-off for a couple of years, but ended things when Rycroft went on The Bachelor season 13 in 2008.
“I would have married Tye three years ago when we met,” she told AL.com in a February 2010 interview. “I remember meeting him thinking, ‘This is it. This is The One.’”
January 2009
After ending her engagement to Mesnick during the After the Final Rose special in March 2009, Rycroft reconnected with Strickland. The twosome eventually started dating three or four weeks after they began talking again.
“We officially got back together under the stipulation that I said, ‘This time, it’s for good,’ you know,” she revealed on Us Weekly’s “Here For the Right Reasons” podcast in August 2020. “I think having the show air, we weren’t really allowed to see each other, you know, so we just got to talk and focus on our friendship. And I think that’s what made the relationship the second time around that much stronger.”
June 2009
Strickland popped the question to Rycroft after less than five months of dating.
“Sometimes, the stars align and the clouds part and everything works out the way it should,” Rycroft said on an episode of Good Morning America, noting that it was a private engagement, although the couple met up with their family and friends right after.
December 2009
The lovebirds tied the knot in a small ceremony on a beach in Isla Mujeres near Cancun, Mexico.
February 2011
Strickland and Rycroft welcomed their first baby, daughter Ava Grace.
“Our lives have changed so much in the last two years and today we’ve been blessed with the best change ever, our beautiful baby girl,” Rycroft said in a statement to Us at the time.
2012
The pair and their daughter starred in their own reality series Melissa & Tye on CMT. The show, which ran for eight episodes, followed the ups and downs of Rycroft and Strickland as new parents while doing long-distance due to Rycroft moving to Los Angeles for her entertainment career.
April 2014
Strickland and Rycroft welcomed their second baby, son Beckett Thomas.
“This little guy has been teasing us about his arrival for the last month so it is only fitting that he surprise us with his arrival on Easter Sunday,” Rycroft told Us in a statement.
May 2016
The couple welcomed their third child, son Cayson Jack.
2018
Strickland and Rycroft launched their own podcast, “Logically Irrational,” which covers relationships, family life and pop culture.
December 2024
Rycroft took to social media for her and Strickland’s 15th anniversary.
“We’re not old enough to have been married 15 years and have 3 children….,” she wrote via Instagram alongside a picture of the couple all dressed up.
October 2025
According to TMZ, Rycroft was arrested for a DWI in September 2025. Rycroft allegedly told Texas police officers that a driver had hit her car and fled the scene, but an eyewitness apparently contradicted her report.
The Tarrant County police alleged that Rycroft had “bloodshot eyes” and “slurred speech” with a “slight odor of a metabolized alcoholic beverage” on her breath.
Rycroft’s car was allegedly damaged on its right side as well as a nearby tree, per TMZ. After searching the car, police allegedly found “fresh droplets of colored liquid substances and spilled liquids inside the vehicle.”
Rycroft was taken into custody and released on bond eight hours later after posting a $1,000 bail with a promise to appear in court.
Following the incident, Rycroft’s attorney Bret Martin released a statement on her behalf.
“I want to remind the public of the fundamental principle of our justice system…every individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” he told TMZ at the time. “We as a society, have gotten completely away from this fundamental concept. My client was arrested on the allegation of Driving While Intoxicated. An arrest is no indication of guilt.”
Martin explained that “it is imperative that we closely examine the circumstances” of her arrest “before any conclusions are drawn.”
“We respectfully request that the media and the public allow the legal process to unfold, and withhold any judgment whatsoever until all of the evidence has been properly analyzed and presented in a court of law,” he shared.
A few days later, Rycroft responded to an Instagram comment on her account without revealing much details about her situation.
“Life really sucks right now and I’m struggling, but I’m trying to march forward,” she said on October 6.