"I broke up with her over the phone": Bachelorette alum Nayte Olukoya dishes on why he and Michelle Young split after her birthday

The Bachelorette Season 18 lead Michelle Young got engaged to Nayte Olukoya on the show, but within a year, the couple parted ways. Nayte recently spoke about how he broke up with her over the phone.

On the most recent episode of The Viall Files podcast, Nayte stated that the two broke up during her birthday weekend.

The 27-year-old said:

“I broke up with her over the phone. You don't want to break up with someone, especially your fiancée, over the phone. It was her birthday weekend.”

He further mentioned that the two were in Los Angeles for a Wango Tango event and had gotten into a heated argument just before the press interviews.

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Nayte explains what went wrong between the couple

According to Nayte, the conversation about the breakup happened more than once since January 2022. He mentioned on the podcast that the first discussion happened a few days after The Bachelorette Season 18 ended on TV featuring the couple getting engaged.

He stated that things, in the beginning, were great, but soon they just "stopped clicking." They hit a rough patch in their relationship once they went "into the everyday motion of lives."

Nayte explained:

“January 1st was our first really big fight and then the very next day was another really big fight. I was so freaked out. I was up until 6 a.m. Crying on the phone with [Bachelorette alum] Rodney [Mathews], because I was like, 'Dude, what's going on right now?’"

After their fight, Michelle and Nayte first discussed their future. He decided not to move to Minnesota with her at the time as he felt it was too early into their relationship. The sales executive revealed that things were beautiful between them for some time, but it soon transformed into daily fights. They almost broke up when Nayte stayed with Michelle in Minnesota for a month.

He clarified that although Michelle said in one of her interviews that she was blindsided, the couple had the breakup conversation thrice within a year.

During Michelle's birthday weekend, Nayte returned to Austin after the Wango Tango event. He recalled crying over the phone with his mother and telling her that things were not working between him and Michelle.

Nayte further explained how he broke up with Michelle. He said:

"So I land in Austin, by the time I land she's still in the air. I call my mom again, I'm crying on the phone with my mom. I call friends, family, whatever. I'm like, 'I don't see the relationship working anymore.’ I was frustrated as hell, crying on the phone with my mom, and Michelle calls me. I thought she had just got home, but she was still in the airport, unfortunately, because that makes this story even worse.”

He continued:

"She's like, 'Hey, if we're not doing CMAs next week we have to give them a reason why.' And I just blurted out, 'We're not doing CMAs because I can't be with you anymore.' So yeah, I broke up with her over the phone, which is a d**k move.”

Nayte further mentioned that their post-breakup was "messy." They officially ended their communication with each other in mid-July. He confessed that he misses the girl he fell in love with, not the one he broke up with.

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The Bachelorette stars announced their breakup in June 2022

Break-up post of Michelle Young [left] and Nayte Olukoya [right] (Image via michelleyoung, kingbabatunde/Instagram story)

On June 17, 2022, Michelle Young and Nayte Olukoya shared a similar post on their Instagram story, announcing their split.

The Bachelorette Season 18 lead's post read:

“I'm struggling to say that Nayte and I will be going our separate ways but I stand with him in knowing the heaviness that is present in both of our hearts as this relationship has been very real for us.”

Several reports claimed that their relationship fell apart because Nayte cheated on Michelle, but he later clarified through an online post. He stated that he didn't cheat and that he's a good person, despite Bachelorette fans labeling him as a "red flag."

Meanwhile, the former Bachelorette couple is living their lives separately.