The Bachelorette alum Nayte Olukoya has revealed that he knew his relationship with Michelle Young wasn't going to last after the show and he's currently in relationship with someone else.
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Nayte, who was living in Texas at the time, and Michelle -- who had strong ties to Minnesota -- ultimately called off their engagement and announced their split in June 2022.
"I think I just knew it wasn't going to last... [Our relationship] started off rocky and ended rocky," Nayte, 29, shared on a recent episode of the "Bachelor Rush Hour With Dave Neal" podcast.
Nayte recalled how writing his public breakup statement with Michelle was "a little bit of a headache," mainly because Michelle didn't want to give fans the impression that she had given up and wanted to be single again.
"I was the one who broke up [with her], and she definitely did not want to break up," Nayte claimed.
"She definitely didn't want to have a happy [statement], like, 'Oh, we're both happy!' And I understand where she was coming from with that. She wasn't up for saying, 'It's okay we're breaking up!'"
But Nayte pointed out how "it is what it is" and most relationships end with somebody being upset about the breakup.
"It was tough.. In that moment [of The Bachelorette], did I believe my feelings? Yes," Nayte said.
But both Nayte and the former teacher have since moved on.
Michelle went Instagram official with new boyfriend Jack Leius in October 2023, and Nayte just revealed to Dave Neal that he has a girlfriend and is "in a relationship right now."
Nayte shared, "I don't do hookup culture. I've never been into that stuff, and I almost never reply to DMs. If I go to a bar and there's a woman all over me, I'm like, 'I'm going home by myself.' It just doesn't interest me... I'm the type of person, like, 'Let's meet out and about.'"
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWNayte said he met his girlfriend organically at a bar and she didn't recognize him from The Bachelorette.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
Nayte confirmed that he was the one who hit on her and he "pretty much" knew this woman was for him at first sight.
"I'm a face guy. I'm a face guy, through and through," Nayte shared, adding how this woman had a "great" face.
"[I had] immediate eye contact for sure, and then we just kind of got to talking. We talked for a while, like, after the bar -- because obviously we didn't go home together, because I don't do that," Nayte said.
Nayte elaborated on how he and this mystery woman had enjoyed each other's conversation and company.
"And then I just kind of let it go from there... I let her know about my relationship, about my breakup, about my experience on the show. She would ask questions, I'd answer them, and I'd just be as honest as I could. It never bothered her and it never bothered me," Nayte recalled.
Nayte admitted he and his girlfriend have "been together for a while" but he's been keeping the relationship private and off social media after his last highly-publicized romance and split.
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"She definitely gets jealous at times... but she's never been overbearing or crazy. She's been really cool about this whole thing," Nayte noted.
The woman has met Nayte's mother, and Nayte said she "may" be The One -- "but who knows."
But Nayte suddenly realized saying "who knows" sounded bad and his girlfriend was probably going to grill him after the interview.
The Bachelorette fans had high hopes for Michelle and Nayte, but their relationship quickly crumbled and fizzled out after they got engaged.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
Nayte claimed on "The Viall Files" podcast in September 2022 that he had initially planned to move to Minnesota to be with Michelle in March 2022 but back-to-back fights at the beginning of that year delayed his move.
The couple continued fighting, according to Nayte, until he finally broke up with her about six months after The Bachelorette 18 finale aired.
"[After the show], we started consistently and gradually going downhill, where we were just, like, it wasn't sunshine and rainbows anymore," Nayte said last year.
"I remember crying my heart out to [my mom and stepdad, saying], 'I'm so frustrated and I have no idea what's going on in this relationship.' How can you be so sure about something and then just have it fall apart?"
Nayte explained how he had felt pressure to be perfect since Michelle was a famous face and they were the new hot couple in Bachelor Nation at the time. Nayte also said there were trust issues on his part, citing an incident when Michelle had allegedly suspiciously deleted a DM conversation with a famous male country singer.
The Bachelorette 18 winner also shared last year how he wanted "more of a partner and less of a coach" in his next relationship.
"I miss the Michelle I fell in love with, but I'm not sure I miss the Michelle I broke up with," Nayte told Nick Viall in Fall 2022.
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Nayte insisted he had never cheated on Michelle, but Michelle was admittedly blindsided by his choice to call it quits on their relationship.
Nayte also raised eyebrows when he moved from Texas to Los Angeles a few weeks after his breakup with Michelle to pursue modeling.
Michelle told Celeb Secrets TV in September 2022, "You go through something and you think you know someone, and then more recently, [you realize you don't]."
And the former teacher revealed to Ben and Ashley in February 2023 that she really "wanted the relationship to work" and had been "willing to put in work" for it.
"And I had the person take off... Both people have to be capable of [working on the relationship]. And so, for me, [my engagement] was yeah, I feel like that was literally kind of stripped away from me, so it pisses me off!" Michelle vented.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
