Watch: Jackson Olson Reveals How Guillermo Rodriguez Reacted to His Apology (Exclusive)
Jackson Olson and Guillermo Rodriguez are waltzing past this rift.
While the Dancing With the Stars contestants already proved they had no bad blood after Olson’s comments about Rodriguez’s last routine, the Savannah Bananas player shared more insight into how the duo were able to bury the hatchet.
“I went to his trailer, we talked for 30 minutes,” Olson told E! News in an exclusive interview alongside partner Emma Slater following the Oct. 6 taping of Dancing With the Stars. “We’re fine. We’ve been friends through this entire journey. We’ve ranted to each other, we’ve talked to each other, and I just walked in and was like, ‘Hey I just want you to know, I meant nothing by that.’”
Unlike some of the critics online, the Jimmy Kimmel Live! star understood the Savannah Bananas player immediately. As Olson recalled, ‘He was like, ‘Dude, I know. It’s totally fine.’”
Indeed, the duo proved they were putting their best foot forward in an Oct. 6 TikTok, where they danced to “Nobody’s Perfect” by Hannah Montana and Olson reiterated his apology for insulting Rodriguez’s skills.
“To G and to all of you, I am truly sorry that my comment I made the other day caused this much unnecessary negativity,” Olson wrote in the caption. “I never meant for it to do that and I take full ownership and I love this guy. Now let’s do what this show is meant to be about: DANCE.”
Olson first stirred controversy by commenting on fellow Banana Ball player Erik Ostberg’s reimagining of Rodriguez’s foxtrot to “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” that he performed with Witney Carson in the Sept. 29 episode.
In a since-deleted comment, Olson had quipped to Ostberg, per Cosmopolitan, “@erikostberg21 but seriously how did you do this better than him with 2 hours of rehearsal.”
Luckily for Olson, the feud was extinguished just in time for him to celebrate his 29th birthday Oct. 6, which his girlfriend Maggie Sajak made sure to shoutout on social media.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Naturally, Olson was floored by the sweet gesture.
“It’s awesome,” he mused to E!. “She said that I was a ray of sunshine, she is the ray of sunshine. She’s so positive all the time. No matter what’s happening—negative, positive—she just keeps a level head and keeps me going.”
And Olson teased that he and Sajak—who confirmed their romance in April—are in it for the long haul. As he put it, “We’ve only been dating for such a short amount of time but that’s how you know it’s right.”
For a deeper look into all the DWTS contestants in season 35, keep reading…
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
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