DeMario Jackson Opens Up About What Happened On 'BiP'

On Monday, E! News released part of their two-night interview with former Bachelorette contestant DeMario Jackson, in which he told his side of the Bachelor in Paradise scandal. In the clips, Jackson discussed the night of the alleged incident involving Corinne Olympios that brought BiP production to a temporary suspension earlier this month, and then recounted how he was sent home. Warner Bros. has since cleared the series and cast members of misconduct in an internal investigation, but the two individuals in question continue to deal with the ramifications of these complicated and serious claims. Bustle has reached out to Olympios' rep for comment on Jackson's interview, but has yet to hear back.

When E!'s Melanie Bromley asked about his initial interaction with Olympios, Jackson said,

“Our first real conversation was at the bar, we were hanging out, and kind of just complimenting each other on being villains. I was like, ‘Look, I’ve accepted this role.’ We were just kind of laughing, ‘Oh, we’re about to dominate Paradise,’ homie stuff, like friends.”

As the night went on, Jackson said, “It got a little hot and heavy, she jumped in my arms, we started making out at the bar.” When Bromley asked Jackson if Olympios appeared to be intoxicated at that time, he replied,

“No, that’s the thing. We had all just got going. We were all talking and mingling.”

He continued,

"She's like, 'Let's go to the pool, let's go hang out.' It's crazy because when you're a man — mostly African American man — no matter where you're at, you always look for things that can help you out. And at that moment, I made sure the cameras followed us. It just seemed too perfect in a sense for me, and at the point, that's when my spidey senses got up."

DeMario goes on to recall some graphic details about his encounter with Corrine. You can watch the first part of the interview in the video below.

And part two of the interview is below.

According to Jackson, he and Olympios allegedly hung out the next morning, but when he offered her a shot, she said the producers had allegedly cut her off. Jackson said that three days later, a producer allegedly pulled him aside to advise him to leave the show:

“He goes, 'Here's what I'm gonna need you to do: I'm going to need you to bow out. Tell [Chris Harrison] and the crew you that love them, you're thankful. However, you know you're not there for the right reasons.’ I’m like, what the f*ck? Straight up. He goes, 'I can't tell you what I know, but it's going to be bad if you don't leave tonight.'"

On June 14, Olympios's rep released the following statement to Bustle regarding the encounter on the Bachelor in Paradise set:

"I am a victim and have spent the last week trying to make sense of what happened on June 4. Although I have little memory of that night, something bad obviously took place, which I understand is why production on the show has now been suspended and a producer on the show has filed a complaint against the production. As a woman, this is my worst nightmare and it has now become my reality. As I pursue the details and facts surrounding that night and the immediate days after, I have retained a group of professionals to ensure that what happened on June 4 comes to light and I can continue my life, including hiring an attorney to obtain justice and seeking therapy to begin dealing with the physical and emotional trauma stemming from that evening."

That same day, Jackson's rep released the following statement to E! News:

"It's unfortunate that my character and family name has been assassinated this past week with false claims and malicious allegations. I will be taking swift and appropriate legal action until my name is cleared and, per the advice of legal counsel, will be seeking all available remedies entitled to me under the laws.”

Last week, the investigation ended and BiP production resumed. Regarding the internal investigation, Warner Bros. released the following statement to Bustle:

"As we previously stated, we recently became aware of allegations regarding an incident on the set of Bachelor in Paradise in Mexico. We take all such allegations seriously. The safety, security and well-being of the cast and crew is our number one concern, and we suspended filming so that the allegations could be investigated immediately and thoroughly. Our internal investigation, conducted with the assistance of an outside law firm, has now been completed. Out of respect for the privacy interests of those involved, we do not intend to release the videotape of the incident. We can say, however, that the tape does not support any charge of misconduct by a cast member. Nor does the tape show, contrary to many press reports, that the safety of any cast member was ever in jeopardy. Production on this season of Bachelor in Paradise will be resuming, and we plan to implement certain changes to the show’s policies and procedures to enhance and further ensure the safety and security of all participants.”

In a statement to Bustle, ABC added,

“We appreciate the swift and complete investigation by Warner Bros. into allegations of misconduct on the set of Bachelor in Paradise. Given their results, the series will resume production, and will air this summer on ABC."

And on June 20, Olympios' lawyer, Martin Singer, released the following statement to Bustle:

“It needs to be made crystal clear that production of Bachelor in Paradise was shut down because of multiple complaints received from BIP producers and crew members on the set. It was not shut down due to any complaint filed by Corinne against anyone.

It comes as no surprise that Warner Bros., as a result of its own internal Investigation, would state that no wrong doing had occurred. Our own investigation will continue based on multiple new witnesses coming forward revealing what they saw and heard.”

The rest of the interview will air Tuesday evening on the E! network.