Devin Strader has shared his side of his breakup with Jenn Tran and publicly released dozens of deeply personal text messages with The Bachelorette star on social media.
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The pair had a heated confrontation on The Bachelorette's live Season 21 finale that aired September 3 on ABC, and the episode left most viewers furious and disgusted by Devin's behavior and casual attitude towards his devastated and heartbroken ex-fiancee.
"I know there are plenty of people upset with me right now," Devin, 28, began a 13-minute video he posted on Instagram on Tuesday evening.
"But I wanted to come on here and hopefully try to give a little more context to the situation due to the things being said about me. All I'm looking 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 went on to note, "This is my truth, and by no means am I looking to denounce Jenn in any way. By no means am I trying to come at her in any way or say anything negative about her."
Devin pointed out how it takes two people to be in a relationship and make it work.
"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 explained.
Devin proceeded to show hundreds of screenshots of alleged text messages with Jenn -- whom he labeled "Coco Chanel" in his phone -- after their May engagement in Hawaii as well as texts leading right up to the September 3 After the Final Rose special.
"I think that will show a little perspective from my side as well as from a relationship standpoint," Devin said.
The screenshots appeared to show Devin and Jenn speaking about how they were on good terms on August 27 and then Jenn telling Devin hours before After the Final Rose that she was "sorry for the way things played out" and she'll "always be rooting" for him.
Devin also refuted Jenn's claim that he had broken up with her in a short phone call in early August.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW"I really wanted to get to that Happy Couple [visit] and have that conversation with her in-person," Devin said, as screenshots appeared to show Devin telling Jenn he had wanted to speak face to face but she had already tried to break up with him twice because they both weren't happy.
"She basically forces it out of me... I did try to meet up with her. I did try to go to the Happy Couple, and she did not let me. [She said] she didn't deserve to go if it was just going to be a breakup, so I didn't know what else to do. She kind of forced my hand."
Devin proceeded to flash texts in rapid fashion from when he and Jenn were flirting and thriving as a couple, and some of the texts were sexually explicit.
Devin claimed it was "important" for him to highlight "the highs and lows" of their months-long romance because he didn't ghost Jenn right after their engagement.
"There are a lot of false narratives being pushed right now. There's a lot of false statements being given out, so I'm really here to set the record straight," Devin said, adding how there was definitely "good in their relationship" at times.
"[These texts] show my effort and the love I had for this woman, because... Jenn said I pulled away 'immediately' after Hawaii. But I actually only pulled away and started becoming distant post-breakup -- and not right after the breakup, we're talking almost at the end of the month."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
Devin said by the end of August, he was trying to "move on" with his life for the sake of his "own happiness" and to make sure he wouldn't be leading Jenn on.
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Devin claimed he never left Jenn "in the dark" and they had multiple phone conversations after their split. He insisted he was not "absent" in their relationship and had actually been very "present," even after they parted ways.
"These claims I wasn't present in the relationship, I find those to be really offensive, and really a demeanor on my character, especially when I tried so hard for Jenn in this relationship," Devin said.
Devin went on to say he was "stunned" and "had no words" when he realized Jenn was fuming on After the Final Rose. He had apparently anticipated a cordial conversation with closure at the end of it.
"It was really disheartening to hear how Jenn described our [post-show relationship]. That's not what happened. It wasn't true," Devin insisted.
"But I didn't want to fight with her... I didn't want to defend myself about facts that weren't true about our relationship and myself as well."
Devin said it was incredibly "difficult" to navigate their engagement post-show and he's not trying to put the blame on Jenn for the demise of their relationship.
"Post show, we both had missteps, we both had flaws," he explained in the video.
"We both had mistakes along the way, but the love that Jenn and I had, and the love especially that I had for Jenn, is not something that I'm attempting to lie about. It's not something I can fake."
But Devin claimed every day with Jenn after their engagement was "an uphill battle" because he couldn't seem to please her.
"No matter how hard I was trying, it wasn't good enough, no matter how much effort I would put in," he continued.
"It continued to take an emotional toll on me. At that point, I really did have to make just a decision based on my own happiness, because again, at the end of the day, what's best for me is what's best for me."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
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Devin also tried to "clear the air" about Jenn's After the Final Rose comment that he refused to attend couples counseling with her to try to save their relationship.
"I never refused to go to couples counseling," Devin said.
"I actually scheduled multiple appointments with her, and we went to a couple sessions together. On top of that, Jenn and I were also doing individual counseling with our respective therapists from the show at the time."
Devin said he "stopped going to couples counseling" when Jenn allegedly fired their mutual therapist without consulting him first because she "didn't like" the woman and thought she "wasn't experienced enough" to counsel them.
Devin said his opinions didn't matter to Jenn and were "being tossed to the side," which happened in "a lot of" their arguments.
Devin also claimed he went clubbing with Jeremy Simon a week before After the Final Rose, which was several weeks after his split from Jenn (and not immediately after, as she had said).
"Overall, I'm not trying to play the victim here. I really, really don't want that... I'm just really here to explain my feelings and my side of the story... Things about our relationship were expressed incredibly inaccurate," Devin concluded.
Devin wrapped up his video for apologizing to Jenn for the way things played out.
"My intentions were to never hurt you, and I'm sorry for that hurt that I caused," Devin said.
Devin initially posted -- and a deleted -- a different video that shared "sensitive" information about Jenn, and then posted -- and also deleted -- an Instagram Story post in which he apologized for uploading the original clip.
"I deeply am so sorry for showing sensitive information from the bottom of my heart. That was not my intention," Devin wrote, according to media reports.
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Devin claimed he had attempted to censor private information but he "honestly missed this one & f-cked up."
"I know there's not words that can make this better," Devin continued. "But I can ensure that there was no intent to show that text. I hope you can please find it in your hearts to forgive me."
On After the Final Rose, Devin didn't explain why exactly he had fallen out of love with Jenn and broken up with her, except for saying that he "fell short" of her expectations for him in the real world.
"I found myself not being able to live up to the things that you need and deserve," Devin acknowledged.
Devin said he watched Jenn grow leaps and bounds on the show, only to contribute to her "recession." Devin suggested that Jenn was willing to compromise her standards to make him happy and he didn't want her to make those sacrifices for him.
"You have done nothing wrong," Devin said, adding how he had "failed" Jenn.
Jenn recently shared on the "Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe" podcast where she and Devin currently stand, but after the leaked text messages, she may have a different perspective on that.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
