In a 13-minute video, Devin Strader shared his side of the story regarding his split from Bachelorette Jenn Tran.
“I know there are plenty of people upset with me right now,” Devin began via Instagram on Tuesday, September 10. “But I wanted to come on here and hopefully try to give a little more context into the situation due to the things being said about me. All I’m going to do here is share my side, take accountability and apologize for some of the things that I wasn’t able to say at [After the Final Rose].”
Devin shared a disclaimer, explaining that he was sharing “my truth” and he doesn’t mean to “denounce Jenn in any way” nor “say anything negative about her.”
“All I’m trying to do here is show that this was a two-way relationship,” Devin said. “And I think we can both be held accountable. I’m in no way sitting here trying to say I was perfect throughout that relationship but I am looking to clear up a few rumors and the false narrative that is being said about me.”
Devin began showing texts between him and Jenn that occurred directly after leaving the show, as well as before AFR. He added, “I think that will show a little perspective from my side as well as from a relationship standpoint.”
The video clipped to Devin screenshots of a text message with Jenn, who he had in his phone as “Coco Chanel.” Per the screenshots, Jenn told him three hours before AFR that she would “always be rooting for you.”
Fans know from Jenn that Devin ended things over the phone, something he claims he tried to avoid.
“She basically forces it out of me,” he said. “I did try to meet up with her. I did try to go to the happy couple and she did not let me.”
Devin then shared what feels like hundreds of text messages between him and Jenn, but noted that it “wasn’t every single text.”
“There’s a lot of false statements being given out. I’m really here to set the record straight and hopefully I can do that by providing a little bit of clarity into the day to day lives that Jenn and I experienced while we were together,” he said.
Devin noted that he felt it was “offensive” that there were claims he “wasn’t present” in the relationship. From Devin’s point of view, he thought he and Jenn were on “good terms” leading into AFR.
“I didn’t wanna fight with her. That wasn’t my intention. I never intended to go up there and bicker,” he said. “I felt that was what she needed in the moment and that was that.”
Devin admitted that he and Jenn both had “mistakes along the way” post-show but that his love for Jenn was “not something that I’m attempting to lie about.” He added, “It’s not something I can fake.”
“As a man, I’m trying to support and love the best way that I can, but at the end of the day, I also have those feelings of anxiety too,” he said.
Devin also clapped back at Jenn’s claim that he didn’t want to pursue couple’s counseling, explaining that he scheduled “multiple appointments with her.” He noted that they “went to a couple sessions together,” while adding that they went to individual counseling with their respective therapists from the show.
“The reason I stopped going to couples counseling is due to the fact that Jenn fired our original therapist without consulting me about it,” he said. “I only had to find out through an email from our therapist saying that she’s sorry things couldn’t work out. I confronted Jenn about this, and she never even gave me an explanation. All she could say was that she didn’t like her and that she wasn’t experienced enough.”
Devin noted that Jenn’s decision made him feel “invalidated” as a partner. “She didn’t tell me that she got rid of the therapist and that’s what really struck me in the wrong way, because again, it felt like no matter what I was saying, what I was doing, my opinions on the matter, they were being completely tossed to the side,” he said.
Devin concluded the video by noting that he wasn’t attempting to “play the victim.” He added, “I’m just really here to try and explain my feelings and my side of the story because again, my truth I feel is important in this situation too.”
He continued, “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.”
