ABC/Paul Hebert
On tonight’s episode of Bachelor in Paradise, there will be an interview featured with DeMario Jackson and Chris Harrison. The interview will also be highlighted on tomorrow’s Good Morning America.
DeMario Jackson and Corinne Olympios were at the center of an incident that caused Bachelor In Paradise filming to be temporarily shut down. TMZ initially reported Jackson’s side of the story, which was that Olympios and Jackson started drinking at the bar and Olympios ended up jumping on top of his lap. They were said to be making out with a lot of “intense rubbing.” Fellow cast members and Bachelor blogger Reality Steve reported that Jackson was one of five men who Olympios made out with that day. TMZ has also reported that Jackson remembered Olympios suggesting they head into the pool, taking off their clothes, “rubbing, touching and fingering.” Jackson said Olympios put her genitals in his face and he “began licking”. Jackson said that he and Olympios were getting along well the next day, but then they were told by the Executive Producer that producers watched the footage and were “uncomfortable” with what they saw. As a result, a producer filed a formal complaint with Warner Bros. Filming abruptly ended.
ABC/Paul Hebert
On the show, cast members talked about their feelings on what happened and many of them voiced that they believed race had something to do with the allegations of sexual misconduct because Olympios is white and Jackson is black. Raven Gates was very vocal about her upset over the incident and how she felt terribly for Jackson.
Jackson has told the media about how upset he’s been over the situation even though Warner Bros’ investigation showed no evidence of misconduct. He said he was also fired over the incident. Though Jackson has been through a lot, he appears to be trying to move on with his life, writing the following message on Instagram:
Jay Z once said, “In order to experience joy you need pain” in the song Guns & Roses and one month ago today I was in pain!!! June 11th is a day that I will never forget. I remember crying and asking God, “why me…why me?” Then my Pop reminded me that God wouldn’t put anything on my plate that I couldn’t handle. With a little help from family, friends and an amazing team I’m now able to experience the joy of life once again.
Tonight, Jackson opens up tearfully to Chris Harrison and discusses the scandal that rocked his world. Next week, Corinne Olympios will appear and give her side of the story.
