Setting the record straight. Bachelorette contestant Logan Palmer addressed the “creative” conspiracy theories about his sudden exit from Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia‘s season.
“This is not something I expected to get this reaction it has. There’s, like, these very creative, very artistic theories about what actually happened to me,” the videographer, 26, said with a laugh during an appearance on the Thursday, September 1, episode of the “Talking It Out with Bachelor Nation” podcast. “I did indeed get a positive COVID test.”
Logan caused some drama among his fellow contestants when — despite previously accepting a rose from Rachel, 26, — he decided to pursue Gabby, 31, midway through the season. After a tense group date in Amsterdam with the rest of the men hoping to win the ICU nurse’ heart, host Jesse Palmer announced that the California native had been sent home after testing positive for COVID-19.
Though his sudden departure from the show raised eyebrows and inspired conspiracy theories among many fans watching at home, Logan confirmed the story as the truth. “I [was] back on the ship … and I’m getting my suit ready and [the producers] were like, ‘Logan, step away. Go to your room right now,” he told podcast hosts Mike Johnson and Bryan Abasolo. “Luckily, the rest of the guys [who were on the date] were OK.”
He continued: “I was just as bummed out and just as underwhelmed [by] that exit as everyone else who was watching. … After all that, after the emotional roller-coaster that I put other people through, after the emotional roller-coaster that I was on, for it to end that was like an absolute dart to my heart. … It was terrible.”
While his Bachelorette journey may have ended in an anticlimactic way, Logan did confess that he enjoyed seeing all of the fan theories about why really left the show. “I’m not a producer plant,” he said, before joking, “People think I’m like Nicolas Cage from National Treasure with some massive plan. [Or] some massive conspiracy.”
Logan, who was the only Bachelorette contestant to decide to switch which woman he wanted to pursue, also faced a great deal of online criticism following his exit from the show. “I will always be someone who will steer with their heart whether it is popular or not. But in the future, I want to lead with intention and pursue with purpose,” he wrote via Instagram last month, adding that watching the show as it aired gave him “a different perspective” on the situation. “I am ready to bring those lessons back into my life.”
The reality TV personality continued, “I have struggled with my mental health since i was 12 years old, and this process was more difficult in that arena than I ever thought possible. Destructive thoughts and constant doubt are hurdles that I think everyone relates to at some point but not everyone talks about. … Acknowledging my mental health and how it affects those around me will be a priority in my life moving forward. It wasn’t all roses, but I am grateful for it all.”
The Bachelorette airs on ABC Mondays at 8 P.M. ET
