The Bachelor’s Clayton Echard Addresses Ex Susie Evans Cryptic Comments About His Character After Breakup: ‘I Can Forgive’

The Bachelor‘s Clayton Echard is moving past comments his ex Susie Evans made about him after their split. 

In a new episode of The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast released Wednesday, Jan. 22, the former Bachelorette contestant, 31, was asked how he felt about a certain cryptic comment Susie, also 31, said about him last summer. 

Discussing the “more prevalent” relationships from his time on the franchise, host Ben Higgins brought up “Gabby [Windey], Rachel [Recchia] and Susie, obviously.”

Since Gabby is currently in a relationship, that left Rachel and Susie as the podcast topics.

“I’m gonna read a quote that Susie said about you during your trial, and it’s interesting,” Ben said, referring to the paternity case Clayton won last summer. “I wanna hear what you think of it. I want you to break it down for us.”

“She said this, she said, ‘Listen, Clayton might be a lot of things, but he’s not a liar. And that meant a lot to me,’ ” Ben read, asking Clayton what he thought his ex meant by that. 

The reality star couldn’t help but laugh. 

Clayton previously said he was “so grateful” for Susie’s support during his paternity suit in July 2024, and his stance is still much the same — though that doesn’t mean he sees a future for them.  

“Oh, Susie,” Clayton began. “You know, I’m gonna hold off on that.” 

However, he proceeded to share his take.

“I think that there was reasons why her and I broke up and there was equal, you know, there’s no blame to be dispersed out, but there’s reasons why it didn’t work from my point of view with the way that she acted and vice versa,” he said. 

“I haven’t really been in agreeance with a few of the times that she’s made small comments that carry a lot more weight. I think that that direct quote was one of them,” Clayton said, adding, “So, I wish Susie the best.”

The former NFL player continued, “I don’t think that comment was necessary in the way it was framed. I also don’t think a few other things she said at some points. So I felt like she was trying to make it seem like I was the whole reason that the relationship didn’t work.”

Clayton admitted he wasn’t sure if that’s the way Susie intended for her past comments to be perceived, but still seemed skeptical about her motives. 

“If you’re bringing this up as a quote, you got to wonder why was it said that way,” he said. “You could have just said Clayton’s not a liar. Why did you say he might be many things? So I haven’t been in favor and I’ve told her that.”

“She’s aware at some of the ways that she’s said things, but it is what it is,” Clayton continued. “She can respond to that accordingly what she meant. I never got an answer as far as what that meant myself, but I just moved on from it, let it go. We’re not perfect and at some points we all say things that in hindsight we probably shouldn’t have said, so I can forgive her for that if there was a need for it.”

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Clayton and Susie met on The Bachelor in 2021, and rekindled their relationship off-screen before calling it quits in September 2022.

PEOPLE reached out to Susie for comment, but did not immediately hear back.