After a long and messy battle, Rachel Lindsay and Bryan Abasolo finalized their divorce in January — but she’s still not happy with their agreement.
“I don’t really talk about the divorce because [I’m] not sure how I want to roll it all out,” Lindsay, 39, explained on the Friday, April 4, episode of her and Van Lathan’s “Higher Learning” podcast.
She noted that when it comes to spousal support and child support there is “so much generalizing,” which causes issues.
“When it comes to spousal support, even child support — but I’m not gonna speak to that because I don’t have children — it is particular to the people that are involved,” Lindsay argued. “That goes for their circumstances, and it also goes to what state they reside in.”
The former Bachelorette, who married Abasolo, 45, in August 2019, after falling in love on the show two years prior, confessed, “It’s just annoying to hear so many people have an opinion on my particular situation because they’re comparing it to somebody else who’s been subjected to alimony.”
Lindsay revealed, “I have an issue with people who take advantage of the system,” before claiming, “The reason I said my ex is not deserving of alimony is because we both made sacrifices in the marriage, and I shouldn’t be punished because I was successful during the time that we were married, and he wasn’t.”
She admitted, “I’m truly tired of the narrative of, ‘Well, he’s deserving of the money because he picked up and sacrificed his career for her.’ I’m just gonna say this, and I’m gonna say this once — not true.”
Lindsay claimed that Abasolo’s first move came when he relocated to Dallas after The Bachelorette, because he “quit his job as soon as he won the show” and she was still employed. (He was a chiropractor when they met and Lindsay was an attorney.)
She pointed out that she also relocated for him, when she moved to Miami, before she got a job in Los Angeles and they made a “we decision” to once again uproot their lives.
“Marriage, partnership, relationships are also about sacrifice and compromise,” Lindsay told her listeners. “Some people give a little here, some people give a little there. It’s a back and forth. It’s not all about one person.”
Us Weekly confirmed in January 2024 that Abasolo filed for divorce, listing their date of separation as December 31, 2023. Lindsay was ordered in July 2024 to pay Abasolo $13,257 a month in temporary spousal support plus $15,000 in attorney’s fees and $5,000 for forensic expert expenses, according to court documents obtained by Us.
In January court docs, Abasolo said he “waives, discharges and releases” Lindsay from “any and all” future payments. He also acknowledged that the exes will also be responsible for their own attorney fees going forward. (The judgement, however, revealed that she still owes him $460,229.)
Lindsay revealed on Friday that she was “willing to give money” to Abasolo, but it’s alimony a.k.a. spousal support that has remained an issue — since Abasolo can get a job but is allegedly choosing not to.
“Somebody who is fully capable of working, who is licensed in multiple states, who could go work for somebody or start their own business or could influence or could use the platform that was given them to leverage into other things should not be receiving spousal support,” she declared.
Lindsay clarified, “I’m not saying my ex didn’t deserve some sort of compensation. … What I don’t agree with is the taking advantage of just because you can.”
She further alleged, “I was willing to split 50-50 even though I don’t think he’s deserving. He got that and said he couldn’t support himself. That’s where the system is broken.”
Lindsay said that her “sum is so big” because of the spousal support each month, not the 50-50 agreement they have in place.
“That’s where the greed comes in,” she continued, later explaining that she called Abasolo a “leech” in the past because he didn’t just ask for spousal support.
She recalled him “asking for my retirement, my stocks, my investments. Like every single thing, tax refunds. … It was ‘I want half of everything you have plus spousal support.’ Nothing in between. And that, to me, is wrong.”
Looking back, Lindsay said she thinks Abasolo’s “jealousy and resentment” toward her was the driving force for their divorce settlement.
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