The Bachelorette alum Rachel Lindsay learned “via text message” that her ex Bryan Abasolo had filed for divorce, court documents have revealed.
In the June 26 filing obtained by People, Lindsay – who starred as the titular Bachelorette during season 13 of the franchise – claimed that Abasolo informed her via text that he had filed for divorce on January 2.
The 39-year-old TV personality alleged in the filing that she and Abasolo, 44, “had a conversation in [her] kitchen during which he failed to mention that he had filed for divorce.” Approximately 30 minutes after he left the house, according to Lindsay, he sent a text message informing her that he had filed for divorce that same day.
She reportedly included a screenshot of their text message in the filing, which read that Abasolo had texted her at 11.43am on January 2. “Hey… I just wanted to let you know that I officially filed,” he texted, per People. “Wait what?” she responded. Lindsay also stopped sharing her location with Abasolo later that evening, according to the screenshot.
Although Lindsay – who met and got engaged to Abasolo during her season of The Bachelorette in 2017 – knew that she and the chiropractor “were separating and would be headed toward divorce,” she claimed she was “shocked” to be informed over text that he’d officially filed.
She explained that their “prior conversations” had been “amicable” and they had decided to divorce in a way that “would not attract media attention.” However, Lindsay alleged that she “tried to talk to Bryan about the divorce in order to settle this matter swiftly and amicably, but he was not interested.”
“He informed me in no uncertain terms that everything must go through lawyers. He has not made any effort – reasonable or not – to resolve this matter with me,” the filing read.
Back in January, it was reported that Abasolo had filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court. He cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split and listed their date of separation as December 31.
“After more than four years of marriage, Rachel and I have made the difficult decision to part ways and start anew,” Abasolo said in a since-deleted statement posted to his Instagram. “Sometimes loving yourself and your partner means you must let go.”
In his statement, he asked for respect for their family and friends as they navigate their next steps.
While Lindsay didn’t make her own social media statement about the split, she later opened up about the divorce on her podcast, Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay, describing the divorce as a “difficult time.”
“I didn’t think I’d get emotional,” she said during the January 5 episode. “First off I just want to say thank you for people who reached out. I’m still trying to reply to people. You just never know how great your circle is until you see all the people that reach out and love you.”
“Obviously it’s a difficult time, if you’ve read the headlines, and you’re probably wondering why I would even work. But to be honest with you, I need to distract myself from myself, and the best way to do that is to do something that I love, and I love Higher Learning,” she continued.
Although the former Bachelorette didn’t go into detail, she promised that she will “eventually” share with her fans but “now is not the time, [I’m] just trying to take it day by day.”
Her recent court filing comes after Abasolo requested spousal support and more than $75,000 for his legal fees. Elsewhere in the June 26 document, she claimed: “His requests for spousal support and $75,000 in professional fees are not supported by competent evidence and far exceed the actual marital lifestyle and his need.”
The former couple were married in August 2019 after meeting on her season of The Bachelorette two years prior. They share no children together.
Lindsay intially competed on Season 21 of The Bachelor with lead Nick Viall. She later gained recognition after she was announced as the first Black bachelorette in 2017, also marking the franchise’s first Black lead across its multiple series.
