In the wake of a whirlwind breakup that quickly made headlines, Steven McBee Jr. is taking accountability and sharing what comes next.
In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, the McBee Dynasty star, 33, opens up about the viral drama surrounding his split from girlfriend Allie Eklund, 29, taking full accountability for his actions and revealing the steps he’s taking to change.
“I am embarrassed, humiliated for myself, my family,” McBee tells Us. “I handled it poorly, without a doubt.”
The reality star found himself at the center of controversy following Stagecoach Festival on April 26, where his relationship unraveled overnight after leaving early.
McBee says he woke up the next morning to a flood of direct messages, videos and phone calls from both acquaintances and anonymous accounts alleging that Eklund had been acting inappropriately with another man at the festival and a subsequent afterparty.
In response, he took to social media, posting a series of emotional videos and messages accusing Eklund of cheating. The posts quickly spread online before he deleted them.
Eklund later addressed the rumors on her Instagram by sharing the video McBee said he received of her, which showed her standing beside a group of men that she explained were her “longtime friends.”
One of the men in the video, Drew Dodson, who McBee publicly accused of cheating with Eklund, also denied the allegations against him, writing via Instagram, “I was at Stagecoach with a big group of friends including someone I’ve known for years.”
McBee, however, claims the video “doesn’t tell the full story,” alleging he received additional footage of Eklund that has not been made public and calling the circulating clip “the most innocent.”
He says he has no plans to release the remaining videos.
“I don’t want to drag this out anymore,” he explains. “This is about someone else and their decisions… I can only control myself.”
Eklund further went on to reveal screenshots of text messages between the two, which appeared to show McBee using harsh language. Following her posts, McBee’s ex-girlfriend Calah Jackson also weighed in, sharing additional screenshots she claimed revealed a pattern in his behavior. The posts circulated widely across social media, intensifying backlash and prompting further scrutiny.
Despite maintaining that he felt “betrayed and hurt” in the moment, he’s clear that his reaction crossed a line.
“There’s no excuse or justification,” he says. “I do have an anger problem — I’ll be the first to admit it. The result of my actions has me in the situation I’m in today. This was a major, major step backwards.”
According to the reality star, he has been in therapy on and off for three years and has consistently attended weekly sessions for the past six months. He now realizes that wasn’t enough.
“This week really brought to light that I need to take additional steps,” the Bravo star shares.
Those steps are already in motion. McBee reveals exclusively to Us that he is entering a six-day intensive retreat designed to address deeper-rooted emotional patterns tied to his upbringing.
“It’s about breaking the family cycle of trauma,” he explains. “The anger, the high-intensity emotions that I have, it’s something that I’ve experienced growing up. I hate to say it’s genetic or passed down, but I saw it growing up. And I don’t want to say it became the norm because I know that’s not OK. But it’s harder to break the cycle than I thought.”
He’s also committed to continuing therapy long-term, focusing on learning how to regulate his emotions.
“I’ve got to figure out how to take a breath when things are at their worst,” he says, adding that if he could do things differently, he would have “put my phone down, walked away and come back with a clear head.”
The situation is especially painful given how serious his relationship with Eklund had become. Just hours before everything unraveled, the two were discussing their future.
“Ten minutes before I left for the airport, we were talking about getting married,” he recalls. “And then 12 to 16 hours later, everything just broke loose.”
Now, McBee says he’s still processing the loss. While he’s open to having a private conversation with Eklund and hasn’t ruled out reconciliation, he acknowledges that rebuilding trust would take significant effort on both sides.
“There would be a lot of steps,” he says. “I honestly have no idea what happens from here.”
For now, dating isn’t even on his radar.
“I haven’t given any thought to it,” he admits. “I’m still in love with Allie and focused on bettering myself.”
Part of that process has included reaching out and apologizing not just to Eklund, but to her family and his exes who have spoken out.
“I understand the weight of what I said,” he says. “I’ve apologized, and I mean that.”
Despite the backlash, McBee says his family has been a steady source of support, helping him navigate what he describes as a week filled with “extreme guilt.”
“When I come back down from that emotional high, it’s like, ‘What was I just doing?’” he says. “That guilt is overwhelming.”
Looking ahead, McBee is determined to turn this moment into a turning point rather than a defining failure.
“I will not let my life be remembered for this,” he tells Us. “I will come back from this. I will be better for this.”
His long-term goal is to build a healthy, emotionally safe environment for the family he still hopes to have one day. McBee also hopes that by speaking out now, he can help start a broader conversation about men opening up emotionally, taking accountability, and committing to real change.
As for fans who will soon watch his relationship play out on the upcoming season of McBee Dynasty, McBee admits it won’t be easy.
“It’s going to be really hard,” he confesses. “I was excited to watch our relationship … and now everything has changed.”
When it comes to what else viewers will see, McBee says the next season will showcase a “roller coaster” of high-pressure family and business moments mixed with joyful milestones.
“I’m going to come back from this, I’m doing the work to make sure it never happens again.”
Season 3 of McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys premieres this summer on Bravo and will be available to stream next day on Peacock. For merch, visit mcbeefarms.com.
