Corinne Olympios has responded to DeMario Jackson‘s claim that he was “falsely accused” of sexual misconduct while filming the upcoming season of Bachelor in Paradise.
A recently released trailer for the ABC summer reality series’ fourth season showed the first footage of Olympios, 24, and Jackson, 30, on set together in Mexico ahead of the headline-making scandal, which kicked off an investigation in June. After the promo premiered on the season 13 finale of The Bachelorette, Jackson told Entertainment Tonight, “I’m glad footage of that day is being shown. … This is a victory for all men who have been falsely accused.”
In a new statement, Olympios called Jackson’s comment “false and misleading” and claimed the trailer showed a previous interaction rather than the alleged incident.
“As DeMario is well aware, the footage that was in the promo was not of the encounter that caused production to be shut down,” the Miami native’s rep said in a statement to Us Weekly on Friday, August 11. “The encounter that caused production to be shut down took place much later in the day, and it was in a hot tub, not a pool. … Corinne has never leveled any accusations at DeMario.”
Warner Bros. previously confirmed that the tape of the alleged encounter will not air on the show. The production company launched an investigation after a producer filed a misconduct complaint. In statements released at the time, Jackson claimed his character had “been assassinated,” while Olympios referred to herself as a “victim.” Nearly two weeks later, Warner Bros. concluded that it found no evidence of misconduct and would resume filming the season. Neither Olympios nor Jackson returned to Mexico, though they plan to attend the reunion special.
“I would love to talk to [Olympios],” the executive recruiter, who vehemently denied the “malicious” misconduct allegations, told TMZ in July. “I have nothing but love for her and her family.”
Bachelor in Paradise premieres on ABC on Monday, August 14, at 8 p.m. ET.
