The most dramatic conclusion in Bachelorette history, indeed. After Hannah Brown shocked viewers by calling off her engagement to Jed Wyatt on the Tuesday, July 30, finale, she came face-to-face with the singer-songwriter during the show’s live portion.
“From the bottom of my heart, I want you to know that I’m sorry. … I wasn’t the best that I could be,” Jed, 25, told Hannah, 24. “ I’m sorry that I took away that experience from you. I’m sorry that this has hurt your family, your friends, Bachelor Nation, everyone, my family. I’m sorry. I’m responsible for this. I will own up to it all day.”
In response, a visibly emotional Hannah said, “It’s so messed up. It’s just sad. But I appreciate your apology and I know that it’s hurt me a lot, but I know that this has not been easy for you and your family. I know critics can be hard. I have some too. What you did was not right and not good, but I did fall in love with you. And I know that that person’s in there, and I just hope that from this you will be honest and learn and grow into the man that I do believe that you can be for whoever in your future.”
Jed charmed Hannah early on in season 15 when he took out his guitar during the first cocktail party. However, he raised eyebrows during the June 3 episode when he admitted that he joined the show because he saw it as “a huge platform” for his budding country music career.
“I just want you to know the truth,” the Nashville resident told the former Miss Alabama USA during a one-on-one date at the time. “I came in with that mindset.”
Jed went on to reveal that he ultimately found himself falling in love with Hannah, telling her, “I feel something growing inside of me that I’ve never felt before. … It’s beyond a show at this point.”
Jed’s ex-girlfriend Haley Stevens later confirmed to Us Weekly that he went on TV with the intention of boosting his career. She claimed they were in a four-month relationship when he left to film the ABC series and that they had agreed to be together when he returned home.
“As a fellow musician and as somebody that just loves this person, I’m like, ‘Why would I hold him back from this opportunity?’” Haley explained to Us in June. “I know the premise of the show. Even though that’s not an ideal situation for our current relationship, when you’re not in it, it seems like a movie. It seems like it’s just a TV show. You don’t necessarily think about the fact that hearts are going to get involved.”
Jed responded to the backlash on Instagram earlier this month, writing, “I ask that you please understand how much the actions being taken towards myself, my family, the men on the show, and above all, Hannah, are affecting all of our mental and physical health. It goes beyond what is said online. Threatening letters and phone calls have been sent to our homes. My parents and sister are being verbally attacked in public. I beg you to remember what seems like a harmless action is damaging to real people.”
Earlier in Tuesday’s season finale, Jed broke out his guitar once again and sang a song he wrote for Hannah. The lyrics included, “After all that you’ve been through / And those times you wish you knew / Who was on the other side of all those restless nights / We always knew it’s me and you.” He then got down on bended knee and proposed to her with a Neil Lane ring in Greece.
After returning home to the U.S., Hannah broke up with Jed after hearing conflicting stories about his relationship with Haley.
“The first news I heard [about Haley] was actually the day after we got engaged,” the Bachelor alum told host Chris Harrison. “But it was just that he wanted to let me know that if anything was said, there was a girl he was hanging out with. I was like, ‘OK, what does that mean and did you end it?’ … But ultimately, he told me it was a week before. It wasn’t a girlfriend; he was just hanging out with her.”
Hannah added, “I have been mad as hell and just questioning what happened, but I’ve gotten a lot stronger through it.”
