Update!

Cassie Randolph Accuses Colton Underwood of Attempting to "Monetize" Their Breakup

Colton Underwood says he's found "clarity" after reflecting on split from Cassie Randolph and taking a "step back" from the situation

By Cydney Contreras Jul 09, 2020 10:39 PMTags
Watch: Colton Underwood & Cassie Randolph Officially Break Up

UPDATE: Mere hours after Colton Underwood reflected on his breakup, his ex Cassie Randolph took to her Instagram Story to address his comments for "public record."

"I would like to state that I do not wish to create an online petty war. Colton, as you know we made an agreement to not publicly discuss our break up. I have honored this, as have you thus far," she wrote, before explaining that she only participated in an interview with Chris Harrison this Monday out of recognition of the "platform" the show gave her and because she didn't "see any harm" in doing so. "I don't want to make enemies with, or turn my back on the franchise."

She continued, "Colton, your last Instagram post saddened me, but also left me frustrated. It seems you are subtly engaging in a tactic that peppers in aggressive comments such as 'that obviously changed this week' in order to make me look like the bad one."

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Cassie then asked for Colton to "refrain" from discussing their romance and to "not cloud" their "great relationship" with a "messy breakup."  

She also stated that prior to her interview, she and Colton had a discussion that left her feeling "frustrated."

"On Monday evening, you informed me you intend to monetize our breakup by writing a new chapter to discuss your experience with COVID (where you stayed in my family's house during your recovery & about our breakup," she claimed. "You have also refused to give me any sort of approval on the chapter you will be writing, which will heavily feature me... This seems a bit unfair to me. Colton, you can do what you want, but please do not have a double standard."

To conclude, Cassie expressed well wishes for Colton and the hope that her statement would be the last word on the matter.

A rep for Colton told E! News, "Her accusations are simply not true."

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Instagram

Colton Underwood has found "clarity" on what he wants from a relationship following his split from Cassie Randolph.

Though the former Bachelor has stayed silent on the breakup out of respect for his ex, the star said he's ready to speak out about the "experience" because "obviously a lot changed this week," seemingly referencing Cassie's interview on Monday's episode of The Bachelor.

He shared on Instagram, "These last few weeks have been challenging because, by now, you all know I'm an open book and I enjoy sharing my life with y'all. When our relationship ended we agreed to handle things as privately as possible as we attempted to navigate our new relationship as friends."

"Every experience provides us with an opportunity for growth," the 28-year-old stated. "If you've been kind enough to have followed our story you've been with us through all of the ups and downs which have taught me so many lessons. I've come to realize when you're in the thick of it you just need to take a step back and look at things from a different perspective, in doing so I have gained so much clarity about what I want and more importantly what I need in a relationship."

He said that as he moves forward into the next chapter of his life, he's "so excited" to do so with "new stories and new people." 

Instagram

Colton's heartfelt caption comes after Cassie expressed displeasure with an interview she participated in for Monday's The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons Ever! 

She said on her Instagram Stories after the show aired that she was a "little irritated" with how her discussion with Chris Harrison was portrayed. "Just watched the Bachelor interview that they aired and I feel like I'm speaking to no one when...I've said this a million times, you guys cannot judge something that you know is edited and know nothing about," the student stated. 

Christopher Polk/E! Entertainment/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Moreover, Cassie was "annoyed" to receive backlash over the interview, because she believed she said "absolutely nothing" that could be seen as too revealing about her ex and their relationship, which began on a reality TV show.  

"That's not what it's about, that's not what it was supposed to be about," she said. "Believe it or not, there's so much more to me than just my past relationship, and I think that's why I'm annoyed."

(This story was previously published on July 9, 2020 at 3:39 p.m. PST.)