DeMario Jackson Speaks Out on Bachelor in Paradise Scandal: ‘The Human Race Failed the Hell Out of Me’

DeMario Jackson, the Bachelor in Paradise cast member who was accused of sexual misconduct on the set of the reality TV show, said the “human race” failed him as he detailed how what he called a wild night spiraled into a scandal that briefly halted the show.

Jackson gave his first TV interview since production officials last week cleared his name and said filming would resume after a brief suspension. The 30-year-old executive recruiter said the accusation and the widespread criticism that followed had had left his family devastated.

“It was stressful,” he told E! News in an interview that aired Monday. “For me, mostly for my mother. It’s hard to see your mom cry every single day. It was very difficult.”

“I feel like the human race had failed the hell out of me,” Jackson added.

Bachelor in Paradise suspended filming earlier this month after a sexual encounter between Jackson and cast member Corinne Olympios sparked claims of misconduct that led to an internal investigation. Olympios said she was victimized by the incident, which took place at the show’s secluded Mexican beachside resort. A probe found no evidence of wrongdoing, according to Warner Bros., which produces the show.

Jackson — who previously said in a statement that his character was “assassinated” by the “false claims” — told E! News in a new interview that Olympios was the “aggressor” in the situation. The two had bonded over being “villains” on their respective seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette when “things got wild,” he said.

Olympios’ attorney Martin Singer has said his team’s own investigation would go on, according to PEOPLE. “It comes as no surprise that Warner Bros., as a result of its own internal investigation, would state that no wrong doing had occurred,” Singer said in a statement. “Our own investigation will continue based on multiple new witnesses coming forward revealing what they saw and heard.”

DeMario is not returning to filming, according to E! News. The second part of his interview airs Tuesday night.