Entertainment

Jenna Cooper's Alleged Texts About Jordan Were Fabricated, According To This Statement

ABC

The real drama of this year's Bachelor in Paradise came immediately after ABC finished airing the spinoff series' fifth season. Spoiler king Reality Steve published screenshots of texts allegedly between contestant Jenna Cooper and a man to whom she was romantically linked. The messages implied that Jenna was faking a relationship with now ex-fiancé Jordan Kimball, but after Jordan shared an email from Jenna's lawyer accusing him of fabricating these texts, Jenna's team has spoken out. According to the reported results of her forensic examination, Jenna Cooper's alleged texts about Jordan were reportedly fabricated. Elite Daily reached out to Jordan's team for comment but did not hear back by the time of publication. Looks like this really is the most dramatic Bachelor scandal ever.

The former couple's disagreement began when Reality Steve, aka Stephen Carbone, first published the alleged messages on his blog on Sept. 11, the same day Jenna and Jordan's engagement aired on the Bachelor in Paradise finale. The texts included Jenna's claim that she was planning to break up with Jordan and frame him as the one to blame in the split. The allegations prompted Jordan to end their engagement despite Jenna denying that the texts were real. Elite Daily reached out to Jenna and Jordan's teams for comment at the time but did not hear back. After Jenna released a statement on Sept. 22 explaining the legal procedures she had initiated against Steve, Jordan soon shared an email he received from Jenna's attorney that claimed Jordan had collaborated with Reality Steve to forge the text messages.

Before Jenna released a statement about updates in her investigation, Jordan spoke to Entertainment Tonight on Oct. 6 about the allegations in lawyer Justin Apple's letter, saying:

I absolutely, 100 percent did not fabricate those text messages. I'll put my hand on the Bible for that. I was absolutely blindsided by this. When I got this email, I called Mr. Apple... Then, we got on the phone and he started shouting at me. In my mind, that isn't OK. I ended the phone call and then his associate, Bill Young, called me several times within 10 minutes. At this point, I have nothing to say to them... The way they're portraying this situation doesn't add up for me. I'm not gaining anything from it.

Jenna's team has now come forward with a statement about the forensic examination she demanded in order to prove her innocence in the scandal. On Oct. 15, Steve Honig of the issue management service The Honig Company shared the following message with Elite Daily:

A comprehensive forensic examination of Jenna’s devices by an independent third-party expert has definitively confirmed none of the text messages in question came from Jenna's phone. Given the conclusive findings of the forensic report, Jenna’s team is considering all options available to Jenna relating to the fraudulent texts. After the cameras stopped rolling, Jordan’s demeanor toward Jenna changed dramatically. He let it be known there was only room for one celebrity in the relationship, he was more successful and famous than her, she would never make as much money as him or amount to anything in life. She was belittled and made to feel insignificant and worthless. He continues to disparage her to this day. As painful as this has been for Jenna, she is glad he showed his true colors before they were married and began building a life together.

Elite Daily has reached out to Jordan for comment, but did not hear back by the time of publication.

It's clear that this controversy has reached the ranks of Bachelor Nation's most complicated off-screen twists. We wish the best for both Jordan and Jenna as this trouble continues.