DeMario Jackson is speaking out following this week’s return of Bachelor in Paradise, which addressed the former contestant’s alleged scandal with fellow contestant Corinne Olympios.
Speaking with ET Canada in a sit-down interview, the 30-year-old executive recruiter expresses his appreciation for his other season four cast members, who appeared to empathize with both reality television stars during a sit-down chat in Tuesday night’s episode following a halted production schedule back in June.
“I was very overwhelmed,” Jackson says. “I know they had my back from day one… I feel like a lot of people felt like if you’re Team DeMario you have to disrespect Corinne or if you’re Team Corinne you have to disrespect DeMario, and that’s not the case.”
When asked if he thought race played a factor in fuelling the scandal, he replies, “One hundred per cent,” adding, “We live in a real world. I mean, we just watched what happened in Charlottesville. There’s a lot of people who don’t like to see interracial dating.”
Speaking candidly about his sexual encounter with Olympios, Jackson clarifies, “We did things that happen on ‘Paradise’ every single year. There’s nothing that was different except for it’s a black man and a white woman now. And that’s the part that is a little sad and disheartening for me.”
Jackson explains that he wasn’t aware there was a scandal until he woke up on the front page of various publications in June. “That Monday was probably the worst day of my entire life,” he says. “Words can’t describe how I felt. I just was in a dark room. I had a sheet over my window… I didn’t know what to do. I just sat there and cried.”
“My biggest fear is one day my goddaughter or my godson is going to Google something and they’re going to find out and ask me the question, ‘What happened in summer 2017?’” Jackson explains. “Or one day I’m going to have children. That’s my biggest fear — having this talk with my son or my daughter.”