'Bachelorette' alum DeMario Jackson declares his innocence

A man in a jacket and shirt looks to the left with a serious expression on his face

Sept. 28, 2022 4:33 PM PT

A week after he was accused of raping two women, DeMario Jackson has broken his silence.

In an Instagram story posted Wednesday, the former “The Bachelorette” and “Bachelor in Paradise” contestant dismissed the claims that he forced two women to have nonconsensual sex in 2018 and 2020 and presented evidence to his followers.

“4 years ago, I , DeMario Jackson, walked directly into the Los Angeles police station after being falsely accused of raping two white women without a lawyer present and the Police let me freely leave,” he wrote. “Here is why.”

Jackson explained that his Uber receipts “proved when, where and the time” he was with the two women who accused him of rape — women who are listed as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 in the lawsuit filed last week. The receipts, he said, “proved I was completely out the vicinity.”

He said he provided police with “screenshots of text communication” the day after the two women filed their police reports.

“The authorities looked at all my evidence and let me, a six foot, four inches tall Black man leave that precinct without a doubt because I did no wrong,” he said in his Wednesday statement. “I am innocent, I did not hurt or harm those women.”

Jackson echoed the sentiments his attorney, Walter Mosley, shared in a statement to The Times last week. Mosley said the claims made in the lawsuit were “completely unfounded.”

“As the Plaintiffs’ own complaint clearly states, the police, who DeMario fully cooperated with over 3 years ago, found these women’s accusations to have no merit and then refused to pursue the matter,” Mosley’s statement said.

In the lawsuit, Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 allege that they separately went on dates with Jackson that ended in nonconsensual sex. The women, who both reported their alleged assaults to the Rape Treatment Center at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center, said they met Jackson, 35, after his reality TV appearances.

He first appeared on ABC’s “The Bachelorette” in 2017, then on “Bachelor in Paradise” later that year. During his time on the second show, Jackson was accused by a third party of sexual misconduct involving another contestant, Corinne Olympios, who said she had been so inebriated that she could not recall the incident.

After a brief hiatus, that production continued without Jackson or Olympios — but with new rules around alcohol consumption by contestants. Warner Bros.’ investigation found no misconduct had occurred.

Doe 1, who was a senior at USC when she met Jackson on a dating app, alleged that he offered to drive her back to campus and then “exposed his penis” when she went to exit the car. He later apologized and the two continued to date.

The suit detailed another incident in 2018, where Jackson allegedly got on top of Doe 1 after she told him that she did not want to have sex. According to the complaint, Doe 1 pushed him off, but he continued to try to get on top of her.

“On the fourth and final attempt, defendant DeMario Jackson pinned Jane Doe 1 down on the bed,” the complaint said. “[He] then forcefully sexually assaulted Jane Doe 1 by violently shoving his unprotected penis into her unlubricated vagina.”

Jane Doe 2 said in the lawsuit that she first met Jackson in 2019 at an Amtrak station in San Diego. Doe 2 was a fan of the “Bachelor” franchise and messaged Jackson on Instagram. The “Bachelor in Paradise” contestant asked her on a date in July 2020, requesting that she come to his home, the suit said.

Doe 2 told The Times last week that she was about to leave Jackson’s home but he kissed her and they moved to his bedroom. She said she told the reality star that she couldn’t have sex because she was menstruating. Jackson, who was allegedly “incessant about wanting to have sex,” requested they have anal intercourse instead, the suit alleged. Doe 2 agreed but soon asked him to stop because she was “uncomfortable.”

The complaint said Jackson then forced his penis into Doe 2’s mouth. She told The Times that he subsequently forced vaginal intercourse, despite her refusal. Doe 2 pushed Jackson off, according to the lawsuit, but he begged her to try anal sex again.

Doe 2, who was bleeding after her interaction with Jackson, also went to the Rape Treatment Center at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center. A July 8, 2020, report from the medical facility provided to The Times lists Doe 2’s diagnosis as “assault by other bodily force.”

Jackson said in his statement that his reputation was “smeared beyond measure” and that he is making moves to clear his name.

“The criminal case (District Attorney cleared me) is about my freedom and the civil case is about my money. I will defend myself,” he said. “Thank you for all the love and support.”

Times senior entertainment writer Amy Kaufman and staff writer James Queally contributed to this report.