DWTS Champ Calls Out Ex-Fiance

Heavy/ABC Kaitlyn Bristowe called out Jason Tartick.

Season 29 “Dancing With the Stars” champ Kaitlyn Bristowe openly discussed her feelings about her ex-fiance, Jason Tartick. The two ended things amicably over the summer in 2023, but there’s been a shift in their post-split relationship in the time since.

“It’s really disappointing to me the way that Jason is kind of leaning into the victim mentality,” Bristowe said on the January 4, 2024, episode of her “Off The Vine” podcast. “I don’t want to dismiss that he’s hurting. I don’t want to dismiss that his feelings are valid,” she continued.

Bristowe’s comments come on the heels of the soft-launch of her new relationship with “Bachelorette” contestant Zac Clark. She is referring to Tartick seemingly playing into the rumors that she and Clark had an affair.

Here’s what you need to know:

Kaitlyn Bristowe Has Denied Cheating on Jason Tartick With Zac Clark

Despite internet rumors that Clark may have been the reason for Bristowe and Tartick’s split, the reality star has denied such claims.

“Hi! Here to say that there was never an ounce of cheating happening and I will not stand for this rumor. Y’all are NASTY in here. Anywho. Swear on my dogs lives. No cheating went on. So we can just put that to rest. Thank you,” she commented on an Instagram fan account.

On her podcast, Bristowe accused her ex of using those rumors to play the victim.

“The word disappointed keeps coming up. I feel so disappointed that someone could use a false narrative to garner sympathy for themselves,” she said. While Bristowe admits that she previously felt that she and Tartick were in a good place, she said she’s now left confused with where they stand.

Tartick hasn’t issued any sort of public statement about Bristowe and Clark’s relationship.

Reality Steve Suggested the Soft Launch Wasn’t a Mistake

Although some fans think they caught glimpses of Clark at Bristowe’s New Year’s Eve party, it seems that it wasn’t supposed to be kept a secret.

According to Reality Steve, the soft-launch wasn’t only intentional, but it was planned.

“I was hearing that there was going to be a soft launch…but I didn’t want to say any of the names,” he explained on the January 2, 2024, episode of his podcast. “The name I knew was Kaitlyn. I did not know who she was soft-launching with. However, I’ve suspected it was going to be Zac. That video did not get out accidentally, it wasn’t somebody ‘oops, slipped.’ That was a soft launch,” he added.

Bristowe was previously engaged to Shawn Booth before dating Tartick. Meanwhile, Clark proposed to “Bachelorette” Tayshia Adams on the finale of her season of “The Bachelorette.” The two went their separate ways in 2021 after the finale.

Details of Bristowe and Clark’s relationship haven’t been made public. It’s unknown how they linked up or when they officially started dating.

“I wish I could just share my truth and tell you my side,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories following some backlash about her new romance. “It’s hard to bite my dang tongue sometimes. But you just go on and continue to have your own little made up story in your head and believe what you want to believe,” she added.

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