The Bachelorette’s Controversial Ending Just Got Even Ickier

Generally speaking, few good things follow the phrase “this is my truth.” That’s particularly true on the heels of what has quickly become the most controversial Bachelorette finale in recent memory. Devin Strader, who broke Bachelorette Jenn Tran’s heart, delved into his side of their split during a 13-minute Instagram video that he posted, then deleted and reposted again, on Tuesday, September 10.

“All I’m looking to do is give my side, take accountability, and apologize for some of the things I wasn’t able to say,” said Strader—who was forced sit next to Tran as the show recounted their doomed-to-fail engagement in front of a live studio audience. “By no means am I looking to denounce Jenn in any way,” he continued. “By no means am I looking to come at her in any way or say anything negative about her. All I’m trying to do here is show this was a two way relationship, and I think we could both be held accountable.”

Strader disputes Tran’s account of how their relationship ended. He tried to explain his side by publishing hundreds of call logs and text messages, a few of which were apparently related to couples’ therapy sessions. Some alleged text messages from Tran, who was listed in his phone under the name “Coco Chanel,” were intimate in nature, and deleted from a second version of the video shared by Strader. “The original post has been altered in order to respect sensitive information that was unintentionally shared,” he wrote in a comment beneath his repost. “I wish nothing more than to take accountability going forward & move on with my life. Thank you.”

Strader took particular issue with how his and Tran’s breakup was portrayed on After the Final Rose. “Three hours before we went on stage,” he claimed that Tran sent messages that led him to believe “we were on good terms.” But once they were in front of cameras, Tran criticized Strader for his handling of their engagement’s demise. “Frankly I was stunned,” said Strader, “and frankly I had no words at the way our relationship was being depicted on TV. It was really, really disheartening to hear the way Jenn described it, because we both knew that wasn’t true.”

He was willing to take blame for at least one accusation Tran made against him—that he followed Maria Georgas, Tran’s former Bachelor castmate and ABC’s rumored first choice for the next Bachelorette, on social media a mere day after their split. “I made an emotionally charged decision,” Strader said. “Jenn and I were in a fight at the time. I am sorry to her for that. Reflecting back on that, I did make a poor decision.”

Still, Strader maintained that he “clearly wasn’t [Tran’s] first choice” on The Bachelorette, and that it was difficult to “watch myself place second” to Tran’s actual runner-up, Marcus Shoberg. “I don’t fault her for the feelings she had towards Marcus,” he added, “but I wasn’t informed of that even during our relationship.”

He concluded his video by apologizing to Tran. “I really, really am sorry for the way things played out,” said Strader. “My intentions were to never hurt you, and I’m sorry for that hurt that I’ve caused.”

For her part, Tran told former Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe that she reached out to Strader following After the Final Rose because she “wanted to wish him the best,” but “then I started getting DMs from girls and all this stuff that made me upset.”

“I was done, so we haven’t talked, no,” Tran continued on Bristowe’s Off the Vine podcast. In the hours after Strader’s post, Tran shared a video of her rehearsing with Sasha Farber, her partner for the upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars.