DeMario Jackson has sat down for his first interview since all Bachelor in Paradise Hell broke loose a few weeks ago.
As nearly every celebrity gossip follower knows by now, ABC and Warner Bros. announced this month that they had suspended filming on Season 4 of this reality show spinoff amidst rather disturbing allegations.
After witnessing Jackson and fellow contestant Corinne Olympios get drunk and then get naked together in a pool, a producer told executive that she feared “sexual misconduct” took place.
This producer said it wasn’t clear whether Olympios was sober enough to consent to the actions that took place between her and DeMario.
At one point, Corinne issued a statement that said she had been victimized on the show…
… and although she never specified whether Jackson had taken advantage of her or whether she believed producers should have stepped in to stop the hook-up, the word “victim” being used in association with the words “sexual misconduct” forced Jackson to respond.
He desperately wanted to clear his name.
In his reply to Corinne, Jackson stated that his character was being assassinated as a result of this ongoing scandal.
Now, just under a week after Warner Bros. completed its investigation and cleared Jackson of any misconduct, the reality star has spoken out in depth.
In a three-part, two-night interview with E! News’ Melanie Bromley, DeMario talks openly about truly happened in Mexico with his co-stars, most notably Corinne.
You’ll need to tune in on Monday and Tuesday nights to see the full interview, but excerpts that have been released that focus on how this controversy has affected Jackson’s loved ones.
“It was stressful. For me, mostly for my mother,” DeMario said. “It’s hard to see your mom cry every single day. It was very difficult.”
Added the spurned Bachelorette suitor, choking back tears:
“My dad, he kept me extremely strong and kept me grounded and humble but having your mom cry every day for something that you know you didn’t do.”
As you might expect, based on his reaction to how everything was handled, Jackson has chosen NOT to return for Season 4 of Bachelor in Paradise, which actually will still air as scheduled this summer.
Wrote Warner Bros. in its statement last week:
Our internal investigation, conducted with the assistance of an outside law firm, has now been completed.
“Out of respect for the privacy interests of those involved, we do not intend to release the videotape of the incident.
“We can say, however, that the tape does not support any charge of misconduct by a cast member. Nor does the tape show, contrary to many press reports, that the safety of any cast member was ever in jeopardy.”
Olympios, however, is not going away quietly.
She won’t return to Mexico for further filming, either, while her attorney has said the following:
It needs to be made crystal clear that production of Bachelor in Paradise was shut down because of multiple complaints received from BIP producers and crew members on the set.
It was not shut down due to any complaint filed by Corinne against anyone.
It comes as no surprise that Warner Bros., as a result of its own internal investigation, would state that no wrongdoing had occurred.
Our own investigation will continue based on multiple new witnesses coming forward revealing what they saw and heard
