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DeMario Jackson Reveals He Had Suicidal Thoughts After ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Incident

DeMario Jackson Extra Bachelor in Paradise BIP
DeMario Jackson visits "Extra" at Universal Studios Hollywood on August 15, 2017 in Universal City, California.Noel Vasquez/Getty Images

DeMario Jackson is feeling “vindicated” by the Bachelor in Paradise premiere, which aired on Monday, August 14.

The former Bachelorette contestant told Entertainment Tonight that he has “been through hell” after production on the ABC dating show was shut down due to alleged misconduct between himself and fellow contestant Corinne Olympios. As previously reported, a producer complained about misconduct in the workplace while the duo were getting hot and heavy in a pool. A thorough investigation by Warner Bros. later found no evidence of misconduct by any cast member. 

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In the more than two months between the incident and the show’s premiere, Jackson said he felt “suicidal, but not like the suicidal that you might think.” He continued, “I never thought, ‘Oh, I’m gonna kill myself,’ but it crossed my mind.”

Bachelor in Paradise
The cast of ‘Bachelor in Paradise.’ ABC/Paul Hebert

Jackson revealed he sought help from a therapist and lost 25 pounds due to stress. “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,” he recalled.

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The premiere episode showed Jackson and Olympios flirting and swimming together prior to their hookup. “I feel like they rolled enough of the tape,” he said. “You can’t show too much, because that’s gonna disrespect Corinne and I, and I just feel like it wouldn’t be the best or the classiest thing to do. But, they showed enough.”

He said the footage helped to dispel the notion that he was a “horrible villain” for what happened. “The public, they need to see something. I think they just needed to see [that] she’s lucid. I’m lucid. We’re swimming around. We’re having fun. We’re friends,” he told ET. “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 they painted the picture and the story of us actually talking, mingling, getting to know each other.”

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However, he wishes they showed even more of the tape and thought it was unfair that he was sent home. “We’re supposed to be on Paradise to mate, relate, have fun, to look for, you know, your future girlfriend, wife or whatever,” he continued. “And for me to get kicked off based off of hooking up, like we’re supposed to do? That’s like me playing for the Lakers and I get suspended for dunking a basketball. Like, that’s my job.”

Overall, Jackson is sad that the scandal impacted his family. “I signed up for this reality. 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 said tearfully. “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.”

Meanwhile, Olympios released a statement in June calling herself a “victim,” and announced that her team of professionals was conducting its own investigation into the situation.

A few weeks later, the Miami native put out another statement saying that her team’s investigation had been completed. “I felt victimized by the fact that others were judging me through conflicting and unsubstantiated reports, while I myself had no recollection of the events that transpired,” her statement read at the time. “My team’s investigation into this matter has now been completed to my satisfaction.” She has also revealed that she plans to appear on the Bachelor in Paradise season 4 live reunion show.

In addition, Olympios’ rep claimed in an August 11 statement that the pool footage is from earlier in the day, and the incident in question occurred later in a hot tub. “As DeMario is well aware, the footage that was in the promo was not of the encounter that caused production to be shut down,” the statement read. “The encounter that caused production to be shut down took place much later in the day, and it was in a hot tub, not a pool. … Corinne has never leveled any accusations at DeMario.”

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