The Bachelor couple Clayton Echard and Susie Evans are opening up about how they handled the recent, ultimately debunked cheating scandal. Earlier this week, a viral TikTok alleged Clayton cheated on Susie. While the TikTok user who posted the video initially stood by their allegations, they eventually took it back and apologized.
Clayton and Susie had a tumultuous journey on the series. Fans were shocked when she left the show after Clayton admitted to sleeping with both Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia during fantasy suites. But The Bachelorette alum realized Susie was the one and tried to win her back. While that was initially unsuccessful, the pair then revealed they were dating again on After The Final Rose. Considering their rocky road to finding happiness, many initially believed the TikTok allegations. However, Clayton provided proof the TikTok couldn't be true. Now that the scandal's been settled, Clayton and Susie are reflecting on the whirlwind experience.
Susie and Clayton discussed the social media whirlwind on the Thursday, April 14 episode of Bachelor Nation podcast Talking It Out. Susie told hosts Bryan Abasolo and Mike Johnson how she discovered the news and her immediate reaction. The wedding videographer revealed she was working in California when the scandal broke. "I just finished filming the ceremony of a wedding and I get all these tags and notifications to my phone,” Susie recalled. The 29-year-old continued, “I open a couple and I see this video and everyone’s, like, speculating, ‘Oh, it’s Clayton and Susie.’ And there’s a TikToker who made a video saying...the most recent Bachelor who’s with his girl still, she hooked up with him the night before.” The TikTok user, Sasha Narang, also claimed to DM the girl. Susie, who has addressed social media haters before, insisted she never doubted her beau. But she admitted her "stomach dropped" seeing Sasha had DMed her. However, she continued, “I just couldn’t have even, like, fathomed Clayton of all people...I just genuinely have so much trust in him as a good human being before anything else."
Clayton soon texted Susie that he also saw the TikTok. The pair then FaceTimed when the former athlete was in Arizona - proving the TikTok couldn't be true. The couple decided to both message Sasha regarding the false claims. Susie said she made sure to be kind to Sasha. Though Clayton was angry, he added, “Susie and I talked about, like, ‘We don’t want this girl to do anything extreme.' So I just messaged her, I said, ‘Delete your videos, and put out an apology, like, that’s the best thing you can do.’" Sasha eventually did, and said she was duped by another man. "I don’t want to question whether or not it was genuine," Clayton said of her apology, adding, "She took down the videos and moved on from it. And so I want to give her grace.”
Now that the scandal's behind them, the couple spoke about how it made them stronger. Susie, who pokes fun at Clayton's fame, also said it led them to realize their main issue is how to navigate being in the public eye. Clayton commented, “Every time that we have conversations like this, when we face adversity, we find a way to overcome it.” His girlfriend said the experience only enforced how much she trusts Clayton. He also commended Susie for leading with kindness, instead of anger. Despite their wild ups and downs during Clayton's season of The Bachelor, the couple continues to prove naysayers wrong.
Source: Talking It Out Podcast