Trouble in paradise nearly cost this reality star more than his reputation.
Trouble in paradise nearly cost this reality star more than his reputation.
Demario Jackson told ET he’s «been through hell» in the weeks since an alleged sexual assault on the «Bachelor in Paradise» set temporarily shut down production.
Although he’s been cleared of any wrongdoing in the incident, which reportedly involved «Bachelor» bad girl Corinne Olympios, the 30-year-old is still dealing with serious emotional scars.
«I never thought, ‘Oh, I’m gonna kill myself, ‘ but it crossed my mind, » Jackson said. «I remember just talking to my mom like, ‘My life’s over. Like, I don’t even want to live anymore.’ And she, like, lost it.»
‘Bachelor in Paradise’ to air footage of Corinne and DeMario
Jackson told the publication he’s struggled most with how the public has treated his mother in the wake of the defunct scandal. He told ET he’s been grappling with guilt because of that.
«I feel guilty, because my mom didn’t sign up for this, and she’s been getting harassed, people tweeting at her, on her Instagram saying, ‘Your son’s a rapist, ‘» he revealed.
«That was the part I was most sad about. I feel like I created this for my family, in a sense, by being a little reckless… And I just want to say I’m sorry to them.»
Still, Jackson told ET he felt «vindicated» after the «Bachelor in Paradise» premiere. He told the publication he felt «they rolled enough tape, » to fully clear his name.
‘Bachelor in Paradise’ teases drunken hookup
«The public, they need to see something. I think they just needed to see (that) she’s lucid. I’m lucid. We’re having fun. We’re friends, » he said.
«It wasn’t like I’m some predator who was at the bar waiting for the girl to get extremely drunk, then I’m like, ‘Oops! Let me pounce on her.’ No it was very mutual and, in fact, she was a little bit of the aggressor in it, and I love how much they painted the picture and the story of us actually talking, mingling, getting to know each other.»
While Jackson was thrilled with the «Bachelor in Paradise» premiere, as well as the franchises handling of the situation, the show’s been widely criticized for exploiting the potentially-serious situation for ratings.
The second episode of the show addressed the scandal in more detail. Host Chris Harrison appeared back at the resort at which «Bachelor in Paradise» is filmed to address the cast, assuring them — and those tuning in — that a thorough investigation had been completed and the show would be moving forward.
‘Bachelor in Paradise’ draws major ratings in wake of scandal
«Warner Bros. hired an outside firm to look into everything that happened here. They looked at all the video footage, sent people down here to interview all of you, our staff. They concluded that there was no evidence of misconduct by cast on the set, » he said.
The cast also addressed racial implications of the hookup between Jackson and Olympios, suggesting that «a stigma» surrounding interracial relationships had played into the hype.
«We have a stigma where, you know, seeing a white woman with a black man is wrong, and that night, what happened wasn’t wrong, and so I was super empathetic with Demario because it’s just, you know, another issue, » star Raven Gates said during the episode.
«Not only is consent important, but it’s also to get rid of the stigma that interracial couples can’t be of blaming African-American men for crimes they didn’t commit.»
Jackson and Olympios will delve further into the scandal during interviews with Harrison, the Bachelor Nation host previously revealed .
