Entertainment

DeMario May Have Lost His Job Over The 'BIP' Allegations

ABC/Paul Hebert

Only a day after releasing a statement saying that his character has been "assassinated," DeMario Jackson claims he was fired over the Bachelor In Paradise allegations, according to an interview with Inside Edition. Entertainment Tonight also confirmed the news of Jackson's firing from his job as an executive recruiter. (Bustle reached out to the company listed on Jackson's LinkedIn page for comment, but did not receive an immediate response.) In the video interview with Inside Edition, Jackson says, "My character has been assassinated. My family name has been drug through the mud."

Update: On June 20, an ABC spokesperson provided the following statement to Bustle:

“We appreciate the swift and complete investigation by Warner Bros. into allegations of misconduct on the set of ‘Bachelor in Paradise.’ Given their results, the series will resume production, and will air this summer on ABC.”

Warner Bros.' statement to Bustle read,

"As we previously stated, we recently became aware of allegations regarding an incident on the set of Bachelor in Paradise in Mexico. We take all such allegations seriously. The safety, security and well-being of the cast and crew is our number one concern, and we suspended filming so that the allegations could be investigated immediately and thoroughly. Our internal investigation, conducted with the assistance of an outside law firm, has now been completed. Out of respect for the privacy interests of those involved, we do not intend to release the videotape of the incident. We can say, however, that the tape does not support any charge of misconduct by a cast member. Nor does the tape show, contrary to many press reports, that the safety of any cast member was ever in jeopardy. Production on this season of Bachelor in Paradise will be resuming, and we plan to implement certain changes to the show’s policies and procedures to enhance and further ensure the safety and security of all participants.”

Update #2: On Tuesday, Corinne Olympios' lawyer Martin Singer released a statement to Bustle that read,

“It needs to be made crystal clear that production of 'Bachelor in Paradise' was shut down because of multiple complaints received from 'BIP' producers and crew members on the set. It was not shut down due to any complaint filed by Corinne against anyone. It comes as no surprise that Warner Bros., as a result of its own internal Investigation, would state that no wrong doing had occurred. Our own investigation will continue based on multiple new witnesses coming forward revealing what they saw and heard.”

Earlier: Filming of Bachelor In Paradise Season 4 was recently suspended following misconduct on set. At the time, Warner Bros. released the following statement to Bustle:

"We have become aware of allegations of misconduct on the set of 'Bachelor in Paradise' in Mexico. We have suspended production and we are conducting a thorough investigation of these allegations. Once the investigation is complete, we will take appropriate responsive action.”

The alleged misconduct involves a sexual encounter that reportedly may not have been consensual between Jackson and a female contestant, who was later revealed to be Corinne Olympios. According to various reports, Olympios was allegedly intoxicated and unable to consent.

When asked by Inside Edition if he blamed Olympios, Jackson said, "I don't blame anyone right now. The only thing I want is the tapes." TMZ previously reported that Jackson wanted the footage released to clear his name.

On Wednesday, the former Bachelor contestant shared her side of the story. Olympios released the following statement to Bustle via her rep:

“I am a victim and have spent the last week trying to make sense of what happened on June 4. Although I have little memory of that night, something bad obviously took place, which I understand is why production on the show has now been suspended and a producer on the show has filed a complaint against the production. 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.”

Similar to what's stated in the video above, Jackson's statement released on Wednesday to E! News reads,

"It's unfortunate that my character and family name has been assassinated this past week with false claims and malicious allegations. I will be taking swift and appropriate legal action until my name is cleared and, per the advice of legal counsel, will be seeking all available remedies entitled to me under the laws."

Since legal teams are now involved and details remain up in the air, it seems best to wait and see what happens before jumping to any conclusions.