This is the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcast with iHeartRadio.
Hey, everyone, welcome to Almost Famous. Today we have Clayton Eckerd with us and we are so excited about that because this man has been in the headlines like crazy lately having a little back and forth with his I don't know if you want to call her ex but ex Gabby. So hey, Clayton, welcome to the podcast.
Thanks for having me. Guys.
It was not too long that we're talking, and I am sooner than I thought back.
I know what did all right, So let's get started with the drama you've had with Gabby lately. So you heard her on a podcast making fun of your dancing, which you've been very vocal about brings you joy. And then she also referred to you as a toe.
Which I didn't know what that meant. I thought that meant.
I had to ask.
Ashley if that was like a new thing that people were calling people.
So I had gotten that comment made about me all the way back when I was a bachelor, and it was it was kind of a common like dig at me and they were referencing I think it was like the Spy kids. You remember the Spy kids with the red like little villains, and they had thumbs for heads.
Oh yeah, oh, I remember spy kids. I don't remember that. I did not like the franchise. I didn't understand its popularity. But I remember people used to call blonde people toe heads, right.
See, I've never heard that you're blondish until and I don't have blonde hair. Yeah, so I don't know if maybe I'm just.
A little blondie.
Not at all.
You're light, you're light.
See.
I think that he was light, but I guess when you really amaze.
Yeah, the slight of here is just making everything up here bright.
No.
I think that's where it came from.
And it was like somebody I went to buy my website named Clayton Eckert and somebody had that name bought and they were trying to basically make me buy it off them, and they had like the thumb images all over the website. So it was something that like people brought up and I just was like, Okay, I don't I don't really understand that.
I think they were kind of like bulkier.
Villains and so maybe aspect too, But.
Whatever, did that hurt you?
No?
I mean, gosh, that was listen, like.
The only things that hurt me were the things that I actually somewhat believed, and that would have been Like I did think I was boring, you know, as a person in general, I played it very safe and always, you know, was trying to fit in and not stand out.
I was fearful of judgment from others. So like when people said I was boring all that, you know, and called me, you know, like bland, whitebread, anything that referenced like me just being a boring blank like a blank slate, I didn't like, you know that that stuff bothered me. But like that he's an idiot, he's you know, ugly. You know, I have enough self confidence that I was like, I don't believe any of that stuff, so it doesn't
bother me. But yeah, the boring stuff hit me the thumb comment Now it's just stupid.
Am I wrong?
Though?
I Mean, there was a period of time post show, I think you might even still been with Susie where you came out publicly and this is all going to get back to the Gabby situation, but you publicly said that your confidence was completely shot, that you were struggling with your mental health. Yeah, I believe you went out and spoke on it. So you're saying it didn't bother
you because your confidence, you had enough self confidence. But then at the same time, it did bother you at some point because it started, you know, it started to affect you.
Yeah, I would say my self confidence of self love has tremendously increased in.
The last six to eight months.
But yes, I was really beaten down in general after at the end of the show, and so, like comments about my looks didn't really bother me, but it was more just the negativity behind it. So it's just people sending messages to try to attack me, and it was this pile on effect that that really bothered me. And so I started just more so feeling like a failure because I had so much hatred.
It wasn't necessarily that like, oh he's ugly.
It was more like the amount of comments that were negative, you know, said towards me started to feel overwhelming, and that made me feel like I wasn't good enough as a person. So but it was like the boring ones that really stuck me in the side, you know, So that yeah, I would say, like, yes, it absolutely hurt me, just by the sheer number of comments being made. And now though I would say it's not the case, which is good, that is good.
I want to say that is good. And we're and I'm gonna, like, I don't want to open up any wounds here. I'm really happy that you're in a good place, and.
I'll open up anyones that I haven't already opened up myself.
Yeah, this is a very interesting situation. You have made the headlines recently for some some drama that you didn't start, but you chose, and I'm gonna we're going to get into that you chose to enter into it. Recently, Nick Vile on his show shared kind of in support of you really saying that, hey, we can't let Clayton Ecker be a punching bag forever. Was his quote, Do you
feel like a punching bag right now? Coming after these gabby comments that happen on this podcast, It seems like what Nick was referencing what you are feeling and a really good season of life, which is great because you'd hate for this to happen if you were like still you know struggling is that it feels like, you know, people seem to think you're getting a lot of hate from all different sides. Do you feel that way?
Oh?
Yeah, yeah, that and I started to wonder, why, you know, I keep getting hit with these things, and some people a common denominator obviously it's him, and I'm like, yeah, but no, you know I didn't. I'm not out here instigating this or looking from trouble. I mean, the cheating scandal I had that was some girl in you know, New York I never met, So I didn't instigate that when that one came on to me. You know, you
could say, like the praternity scandal. I mean, okay, I hooked up with a girl, but nobody expects it to go to that extent, you know, So it was that was something as well that I'm like, that's ridiculous that this this came on to me. And then the comments with Gabby, you know, it was just like really, I mean, here I am doing my thing. You can hate it or love it. You don't have to. I understand I'm
not the greatest dancer. I'm very aware of, like how good of a dancer I actually am in comparison to legit dancers, which is also something I want to highlights. People like, he's not a good dancer. I'm like compared to who you know, because I've I have absolutely improved from the first day that I started dancing, but like compared to who so you know. But it's like, I think the reason I, at least what I came to realized was the reason why I'm a punching bag is because I wasn't punching back.
You know.
I think all this time I just basically took it and then sat here and and and didn't do anything about it. And so I recently came to a place where I said, I'm not gonna just take this bullshit anymore. You know, I'm going to stand up for myself, even
if it's something trivial. I mean, I think, you know, again, what Gabby said, I've said had so many terrible things said to me now like it didn't that didn't hurt me, like her saying I wish you didn't I didn't have eyes if you watch this dance video or then I look like a thumb, you know. I was like, Okay, I've heard way worse, but it's the principle. I was like, I am no longer going to allow people to bash me.
You know, I'm going to stand up for myself, and there's going to be some repercussion for you know, for you come attacking me for you know, the cheating or for the paternity scandal. This girl's facing criminal prosecution right now, so you know, that's her accountability. And then for Gabby, I mean, I think people saw that she's you know, that wasn't fair and right for her to say, and so you know, and she chose not to apologize, and so she's facing a little bit of backlash from some
people online. I knew I was never going to win that battle from a you know, public standpoint, as far as court of public opinion. She's got three times the followers and the audience and she's, you know, the hot thing right now, so I knew I wasn't. But it wasn't about that. It was more just like, keep my name out of your mouth, stop talking about me. I'm just not gonna let this fly anymore.
Was it frustrating to see her try to make it like a woman versus man thing and how she was saying that like men shouldn't have a say on like what you talked about on the Bachelor.
That really did bother me because it was just like what does this have to do with the matter at hand. This is not a matter of male versus female. This is strictly about you dragging me for no reason. And she tried to play into this whole narrative that I absolutely despise. I mean, it infuriates me, but I chose not to. I didn't want to take away from like that her response and go down this path of like men versus women, because I'm not trying to go down that path.
I just want the equality aspect.
But it really cheap of her to like bring up my you know, white man and I'm like, oh, look, so my ethnicity and my you know, sexuality or my you know gender.
I'm like, why does this? Like you just stop.
You're just trying to basically get people to latch onto that and be like yeah, like he's he should.
It wasn't relevant at all.
It wasn't relevant, and I don't like it because it's like, what is a white man not supposed to be able to express himself? And then all the comments, all her little fans saying like men used to go to war and like look how soft men have gotten.
I'm like, you are the problem.
You're the reason why men won't speak up because you bash them for the second that they talk about their mental health, and.
That's that's that's you know, that infuriates me as.
Well, like that response, and I'm like, see, this is what happens when you start trying to draw this narrative like she did, where she's like man versus woman. I'm like, stop, that wasn't even a point of conversation, like you're just it just yeah, I didn't like that at all. I thought that was very cheap and just was unnecessary to bring up.
Two side notes, one completely side note here like such a wild turn. And then I'm going to get back to some questions. Did you just get your ears pierced? No, I've had them piers for Oh yeah, I've had them. They're small, but I've had them piers for like a year now.
Yeah he looks good. Yeah. I was like, that's cool.
I just one day, as I started, you know, finding myself and what I wanted to do, I was just like, you know, I've always thought earrings like cool on guys, and you know, there was always this stigma of like your sexuality would be questioned if you had earrings.
At least where I grew up, so.
That was the stigma behind it, and I was like, I don't really care what people think about.
Me, and I just think it looks good.
You're going through a time.
You're discussing question. Man, I'm just doing what I want to do, you know, I'm just saying, great.
I do want to get back here.
Okay.
So in closing on this topic, because we don't need to draw it out, we don't need to go into a thousand details. We never really said it was said. What was said on this podcast that Gabby was on is she pretty much spent you know, ten minutes really like going at you, calling you or comparing you to a toe, which I think there's different ways for people
to interpret what exactly that meant. Either you look like a toe, or it's a comment like I don't exactly even really know, but that's what she compared you to. She said I dated a guy that was a toe. And then she criticized your dancing that you post on social media. If people aren't familiar or don't follow you, you do share dancing videos on social media. We have during this interview admitted that you don't think you're a professional dancer, but this is something that brings you joy
and that's why you do it. So we have this. You did come back out and speak publicly kind of defending yourself. As you said, you're not going to be the punching bag anymore. You are going to stand up for yourself. You did do that publicly. She did respond with the comments that we were just talking about, saying that you really don't have a place to defend yourself here because of some things that you did on this
live show. So this is where we sit today, at least as far as I know, you sit in this place where she just responded. You haven't said anything back. As we close here, Clayton, where do you hope this goes?
Like?
Where do you hope this plays out? What do you think that what do you hope the outcome is? Because obviously you said that her fans are still, you know, upset with you. I'm sure your fans and many are upset with her. This could be a back and forth that could last a long time and keep you both in the public eye for a long time and become a big benefit to you because you are back in the headlines. Or you just squash it and you say we're done with it. So where do you hope this goes?
What is your next move?
Yeah?
Well, I mean she said, put out our video response, and then I put out a video response and response to that that's on my Instagram, and that was you know that. I felt again like, oh no, you're not just going to be able to skit the last word and say what you want and then bully me into not responding.
You know, I'm going to take one last stand and respond to that.
If I don't know if she's responded, since she's blocked me on all of her social media, so I don't know if she's sent out a response.
I haven't been tagged anything.
Time out, time out, pause, there is this block new does this happen like post this situation or has this.
Been based off this whole thing? Okay?
Oh my god, okay, okay, so then you you you responded twice. Now you're saying that.
You said something.
She said something, You said something, and then you said, oh, okay, you're not going to respond to my response.
Well, she just I my she originally said something on a podcast. I then put out my first you know, saying, you know, like I'm not cool that She then responded and said, oh, that's rich, you know, with talking about being a white male. I then responded to that video on my Instagram, so I have that video now if she's put on anything since I haven't seen it because she right now. But as far as like listen, I mean even having this conversation here, like I don't want to.
I didn't want to drag it out I because it doesn't benefit me. It was just strictly like, don't talk about me, and that's it. That's that like moving forward, you know again, because she could have someone, if someone. I saw this whole excuse of like, well, people are asking her about it. I was like, yeah, right, but people ask me about the Bachelor, and you don't in my experience, you don't see me talking about individuals well you know, yeah three years ago this like blah blah blah.
It's like, no, you can. You're clearly choosing to target me and make comments.
And it's been you know, multiple times, and that's what originally got me to speak up. It's like I got sent a few podcasts and I was like, all right, one too many podcasts. You're going on this this tangent recently and calling me out so I don't have any intention if she were to respond back and put up another video, It's like, there's it's really kind of beating a dead horse. At this point, she understands I'm not cool with it, so just it's like, don't keep talking
about me, and if she does, I don't know. I mean, as of right now, she's not saying anything about it, so I'm like, let's just drop it. But if she wants to go on a rant and go off on social media and podcasts and keep attacking me, you know, I'll react accordingly. I'd rather not though, I'd rather just like let it be. I don't like, I don't seek this kind of stuff, you know. I just this was
not one too many times. I'm like, you, you have spoken up poorly about me in the last few months too many times.
And that's why I'm going to say.
Something before we wrap.
I do want to ask about one thing that you said in your response video. You said that you had reached out to her and apologized for what went down during your season at the Bachelor. Did she ever respond to that, because based on the screenshots, it was if.
A I never responded to my original message apologizing and then I ended up having a conversation with Rachel one day at an event and we had talked about, you know, the situation with Gabby, and I said, you know, I'm not really certain where the things are at, and she's like, oh, you should reach out to her. So I reached out about this opportunity, a thing that I had in my mind, and she was very brief and that was that. So it's like she never really yeah, I mean, she just
did want anything to do with me. So it was loud and clear, and so that was that. And I think that was the last time I sent her a message, was like twenty twenty three, and just was like, Okay, I forget it. Like she doesn't want to make amends. She's you know, heard, and that's fine. We don't have to forgive me. But I guess I'll just stop trying to, you know, basically heal this this this connection that's.
Just not it's not reciprocal.
What a wild world you've been in since your time of being the Bachelor of Clayton. My final question, and we'll end it with this. I think we asked you a few weeks ago when you're on are you glad that you were the Bachelor or you would take it all back. Do you wish this would have never been the path you would have gone down?
No, I am.
I'm very happy because the guy on the Bachelor that everyone watched wasn't the version of me that I wanted to be. It was just the safest version of me that I chose to navigate through life. All this adversity put me in a place now where, like, I do not care about people's Let me say this, I hardly care about most people's opinions. I'm sure somebody can say something that I can get under my skin, but I've gotten to a place.
Now where Gabby, yeah, I.
Mean some people can can get under my skin.
I'm not going to say all and use absolutes, but I hardly ever care about what strangers think about me anymore. And because I don't care about fear of judgment, I'm able to live a fully authentic life, or the closest thing to it. So I wouldn't have gotten there had I not had all of this conflict so in versity. So yeah, I'm actually really grateful in a.
Better sounds like you've been listening to some Tony Robbins podcast listening.
I've had Sony self help books and Sony podcasts like I went. I went deep into the whole healing experience, and I was able to switch my perspective, you know, which is like it works for me, you know. So I've convinced myself that everything's great.
So it is.
Hey, that's thanks for giving us the updates. This makes a lot more sense. There's a lot in this world of back and forth publicly public drama that I don't understand, So thanks for coming on sharing it with us. This has been the Almost Famous podcast with Clayton Eckerd until next time. I haven't been, I've been Ashley.
See you guys.
Se y'all.
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