Derek Defended Tayshia On Twitter After Leaving 'Paradise,' Solidifying His Fan-Fave Status

Fans of Derek Peth from Bachelor Nation were devastated to see the fan-favorite choose to remove himself from Bachelor In Paradise on the Sept. 2 episode. His departure came after a tough conversation with Tayshia Adams, where she told him that she didn't want to pursue a relationship. But after the episode aired, he wanted to make sure no one was blaming her for his decision or bullying her on social media. Derek's tweets about Tayshia post-Bachelor In Paradise stressed that it was his decision to leave and they just weren't compatible enough for a relationship moving forward.

In the episode, after two major arguments with John Paul Jones, Derek had a sit-down talk with Tayshia about where she stood in regard to their relationship. She explained that even though they had a connection early on, and understood each other better than most — since he'd been engaged and she was married at one point — she just didn't know if she could get to a point of being in love with him. It was his second rejection of the season, and, apparently, it was the last straw for Derek, who left the beach that same day. Fans were sad to see Derek go, but before they could blame Tayshia for his decision, Derek stepped in on Twitter.

On the night of Sept. 2, not long after the most recent Paradise episode aired, Derek tweeted out the following message: "Hey all, please be kind to Tayshia. She spoke her truth to me and I can never ask any more than that from anyone. We just weren’t a match in the end. I very much appreciate that we have a friendship."

This isn't the first time Derek has stood up for his Paradise co-stars on social media. He previously defended Demi against any hate she might get after she broke up with him, too. "As you all watch this, I want to ask that you have as much empathy as you can for Demi," he wrote on Aug. 19. "I’ve seen some really hurtful things being said that don’t reflect how I feel and I lived this. I’m glad that you’re finally all able to see how open and honest she’s always been with me."

He completely shut down comparisons between Demi and Jed, who had a girlfriend back home before he got engaged to Hannah B. on The Bachelorette. But the truth of the matter, as Derek pointed out, is that contestants on Paradise don't have to have engagement as their endgame for the show, whereas contestants on The Bachelorette should.

Derek may not have left Paradise with the love of his life, but at least he walked out with his head held high. And, based on his post-Paradise tweets, it looks like he left with a lot of great friendships, too. Not only that, but he seems to have hope that he'll find the one someday, just maybe not on a beach in Mexico.

After his exit aired, Derek tweeted about his romantic future, writing, "Thanks everyone. Love you all. I’ll find her."

He even used a GIF of arguably one of the most romantic moments on The Office, where Jim cuts off the tip of his tie to marry Pam, to hammer home just how optimistic he is. Hopefully, he'll find the Pam to his Jim in no time.