Devin Strader is addressing the controversial end of his engagement to Jenn Tran following The Bachelorette‘s heartbreaking finale. In a 13-minute video that’s since been deleted from Instagram, Jenn’s former fiancé spoke out about his decision to end their engagement after getting engaged on the ABC dating show.
Sharing hundreds of screenshots of their text messages from the days leading up to the end of their relationship, Devin addressed some of the “incredibly inaccurate” things he claimed Jenn said during their After the Final Rose confrontation.
“Post-show, we both had missteps, we both had flaws,” he said in the video. “We both had mistakes along the way, but the love that Jenn and I had, and the love especially that I had for Jenn, is not something that I’m attempting to lie about.” He continued that despite everything he did, he felt like his efforts to continue their relationship weren’t “good enough,” which took an “emotional toll” on him.
“At that point, I really did have to make just a decision based on my own happiness, because again, at the end of the day, what’s best for me is what’s best for me,” Devin continued. The reality personality then addressed Jenn’s accusation that he refused to go to couples counseling with her, claiming that he had scheduled “multiple appointments” with a counselor before Jenn fired their mutual therapist without consulting him, allegedly saying that she “didn’t like her” and she “wasn’t experienced enough.”
Devin also addressed his decision to follow Maria Georgas, Jenn’s fellow competitor on The Bachelor and rumored first choice for The Bachelorette, calling it an “ill-advised” and “emotionally charged” decision. “I did apologize and she is the only one who needed an apology,” he explained. “In that moment, I realized I made a mistake, and I am sorry to her for that. Reflecting back, I do realize that I did make a poor decision, and I shouldn’t be playing with people’s feelings, especially when it’s regarding their emotions.”
Devin continued, “The things that were said about our relationship were expressed and incredibly inaccurate, and I just wanted to do my best, and felt it was best to speak on the circumstances of the situation,” before turning to address Jenn directly, “And to Jenn, I really, really am sorry for the way things played out. My intentions were to never hurt you, and I’m sorry for that hurt that I’ve caused.”
Following Strader’s decision to post on Instagram, Jenn appeared on the Thursday, Sept. 12 episode of Nick Viall’s The Viall Files podcast, slamming her ex for releasing their private texts while attempting to defend himself. “I have no idea why someone would do this, let alone someone I was engaged to, [and] release private texts between us two,” Jenn said. “When you get engaged to somebody [or] when you’re dating somebody, your first thought is never, ‘Oh my gosh, these texts might be blasted for the whole world to see.’ Like, that is such an invasion of privacy.”
Devin apologized for releasing private texts in a short-lived Instagram Story, deleting the original video before uploading a new version without the texts included. That video has also been deleted. “I felt so betrayed, so disrespected and, honestly, just upset and disappointed,” Jenn continued. “I don’t have a problem with him going out there and saying what he needs to say, but I have a problem with him invading my privacy and releasing texts without telling me [and] without giving me notice.”
She emphasized, “At this point, I want to be done and I want to put this in the past. I don’t need this breakup to be drawn out for six months. I’m done with it and I’m ready to move on. The way that he’s been behaving … shows to me that this is not the person I would ever want to spend the rest of my life with anyway.”