DeMario Jackson is ready to pick up the pieces.
After a whirlwind two weeks of rampant rumors, speculation and headlines, the Bachelor in Paradise star is ready to come clean one final time. He's detailed the graphic sexual encounter with Corinne Olympios that led Warner Bros. to launch a since-concluded internal investigation, shared how the scandal has impacted his family and defended his name against critics of his character.
But now, in a nearly two-hour interview with E! News' Melanie Bromley, Jackson sheds new light on his relationship with Olympios, how producers dealt with the incident behind-the-scenes, and his plans to move past the controversy unscathed. (Plus, has he spoken to Corinne since the misconduct allegations were brought forth?)
From his point of view, Jackson, a 30-year-old recruiter based in Los Angeles, says, "The human race failed the hell out of me."
"As a society," he explains, "my comment section was filled with the dirtiest comments you could ever imagine from both parties… To see Corinne get disrespected, and her name dragged through the mud… It just sucked."
He also recalls feeling an immediate connection with fellow contestant Alexis Waters before meeting Corinne on the first day of production, hours before the two would eventually hook up during what Jackson describes as "one of the wildest nights of my entire life." Days later, a BIP producer would ask DeMario to leave the show for reasons unspecified at the time.
Jackson describes racking his brain over what could have possibly gone wrong, but shortly thereafter, two separate producers filed misconduct complaints and filming was suspended. As Bachelor in Paradise fans remember, Warner Bros. cleared the reality series and its producers of any misconduct nine days later and production resumed.
Despite the investigation's conclusion, the reality TV personality (who first appeared on Rachel Lindsay's ongoing season of The Bachelorette) is still left with more questions than answers.
"It's been so challenging to be part of this situation, and there's 50 percent of this whole situation that I'm like, ‘Wait what?' There are so many ‘what ifs.' There are so many conspiracies," he tells us.
Meanwhile, Olympios' legal team plans to proceed with an investigation of their own. A statement from attorney Marty Singer read in part, "It comes as no surprise that Warner Bros., as a result of its own internal investigation, would state that no wrongdoing had occurred. Our own investigation will continue based on multiple new witnesses coming forward revealing what they saw and heard."
In Corinne's original statement breaking her silence on the incident, the 25-year-old referred to herself as a "victim." She continued, "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."
And now that he's "100 percent in the clear," Jackson says he's focused entirely on his family as opposed to a Paradise return. He adds, "This whole experience has been really humbling because you don't know the impact you make on people's lives until people put their life on hold for you."
To hear more emotional confessions from DeMario Jackson about the Bachelor in Paradise scandal, watch the video above, and our three-part interview airing Tuesday night at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. only on E! News.