This is part six of a six-part series. Read the other parts here or visit @WeArePauseRewind for more information.
Given what Clayton Echard has dealt with for the past three years, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he had no interest in dating ever again.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 03: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Clayton Echard attends iHeartRadio 102.7 KIIS FM’s Jingle Ball 2021 presented by Capital One at The Forum on December 03, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)
Echard was subjected to false accusations of impregnating a woman named Laura Owens, who dragged him through the legal system for a pregnancy that never existed in a wild case that is covered in depth on the new podcast, “Love Trapped.”
It’s the kind of story that would make anyone wary of dating.
“I have definitely taken more precautions,” Echard told PauseRewind’s Elizabeth Stanton. “I’m still dating. It hasn’t stopped me from doing that, but I definitely am vetting women to a higher degree where it’s like, hey, just take the extra step. Take the extra moment or day, or whatever it is to not rush things and really figure out who’s in front of you and what they might be after.”
THE BACHELOR – ABC’s “The Bachelor” stars Clayton Echard. (Pamela Littky/ABC via Getty Images)
Echard says he’s had a few women, “not as sinister as Laura” who “had a motive that was threatening to me.”
“I’m just being smarter about not just pushing myself out there to everybody. It’s like reducing access.”
Echard is notoriously honest about everything, including himself, admitting that the dramatic case with Owens could be a reason women might avoid him, as well as any number of other reasons.
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA – JULY 17: Clayton Echard attends Netflix Summer Break at Santa Monica Pier on July 17, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Netflix)
“I’m sure I’ve had women avoid me for a multitude of reasons based on what they’ve heard, whether it’s around town, or whether it’s online, or whether it’s this story,” he said, adding, “I’m not everyone’s cup of tea. It could be my dancing. Some women don’t like the fact that I dance. They think it’s cringy, and it’s like, that’s fine. You know, I’ve pushed people away, for sure, but I push the wrong people away, which is what I’m after.”
The Arizona-based reality star is off the dating apps and is hopeful still that “the right person will find their way into my life. So, I was like, if I put up a couple more barriers, that’s just, that’s just better for everybody.”
He continued, “I’m just working on myself right now, and I’m building out my future. It’s good. I’m 33. I’m not old. So, I look at it like, I can find somebody. I mean, I know people that settle in their 40s, they find their person in their 40s, and they’re super happy. I came from the Midwest where people settle down in their 20s. I’m glad I didn’t, I almost did at one point my life, and probably I’d have made it work then.”
THE BACHELOR – The Bachelor: Women Tell All Get ready for a night of drama, laughter and maybe even a few tears when Claytons former flames reunite for the first time. Seventeen women will come together to hash out their differences, clear up any misunderstandings and apologize (or not) for bad behavior; but will it all be taken in stride, or will some ladies be hung out to dry? Later, the pressure is on when the Bachelor himself, Clayton, steps into the hot seatthese women arent holding back! Plus, a few special surprises and everyones favoritebloopers! Buckle up, because its all about to go down when a special two-night Bachelor event begins with The Bachelor: Women Tell All, MONDAY, MARCH 7 (8:00-10:01 p.m. EST), on ABC. (Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty Images)CLAYTON ECHARD
For now, Echard says he’s “really grateful for my singleness, and I’m grateful that I can enjoy this chapter my life” and isn’t ready for a wife and kids just yet.
“I want to enjoy what I have a little bit longer,” he said.
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