Clare Crawley and Dale Moss’s Second Breakup Has Gotten Very Messy

Mehera Bonner, Christen A. Johnson
·25-min read

Remember March 2020? HA HA HA, me neither, but that’s when Clare Crawley was announced as ABC’s next Bachelorette. Since that fated day, a lot has happened—including but not limited to a global pandemic and significant changes in the Bachelor franchise in response to calls for increased diversity. But also, Clare quit (or was kicked off...) The Bachelorette and got engaged to contestant Dale Moss after *checks notes* 12 days of knowing him. On top of that, ABC recast Clare with Tayshia Adams, and Dale and Clare broke up shortly after...but were still hanging out and doing the public PDA thing...only to get back together, get engaged, and break up again. If all this has left you confused and/or spiraling as you flop around in a sea of rose petals, let me go ahead and lay it out for you:

March 2, 2020

Clare is officially announced as ABC’s next Bachelorette. The big reveal goes down on Good Morning America and Clare says she wants a man “who will take off his armor” and “open himself up and be vulnerable.” DALE MOSS, YOU LISTENING?

June 23, 2020

Clare admits to googling her suitors, telling the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast, “Obviously. What woman wouldn’t? Are you kidding me? I will say this. At first, I really didn’t. I really did not and it was because, I don’t know. I just kind of felt like I want to get to know them and regardless, I know how my Instagram is. It’s a piece of my life...You have to see and feel it in person and so regardless of what their life is and what it looks like on their Instagram, it’s nice to actually see them in person and I am huge on pheromones, so that’s like the end for me.”

July 30, 2020

Reality Steve reveals Clare gave Dale her first impression rose on-set of The Bachelorette. Intriiiiguing.

July 31, 2020

A Reddit post, later shared by Reality Steve, claims Bach production is having “problems” with Clare, and Tayshia Adams is being called in as the new Bachelorette:

“On Monday, I got some messages saying that production is having a lot of problems with Clare during filming. Among other things, she canceled everything that was supposed to happen that Saturday before, and they called in a new Bachelorette. They are recasting her with Tayshia. Tayshia is already quarantining at the hotel and they should be taking her phone on Friday (today). The plan is for her to call back some guys that have already been eliminated.”

Meanwhile, Life & Style reports Clare had such a “deep connection” with Dale that she quit after 12 days, leaving production “blindsided” and "scrambling." Also, she allegedly “refused to come out of her room” to film with other men, lol.

August 3, 2020

Life & Style is back at it, reporting that Clare and Dale are casually engaged. After 12 days of dating. I repeat: 12 days. On top of this, Reality Steve tweets that a big fireworks display went down at the resort where The Bachelorette is filming, which fans speculate could be the show celebrating Dale and Clare’s engagement:

This same day, Clare Likes a tweet about Tayshia replacing her...

August 4, 2020

While Reality Steve says there’s no confirmation Dale and Clare were talking before the show...

...a People source reveals Clare fell for “one of her potential guys” (wow, wonder who?) when filming was delayed all the way back in March:

“One of her potential guys found a way to get in touch with her and they began talking. By the time filming officially began, they were basically already in love. No one else stood a chance. It just became so obvious from her subsequent few dates that her heart wasn’t in it and she just wasn’t feeling it. Then she said she wanted out.”

In other words, it sounds like Clare might have broken some rules and started talking to Dale way ahead of schedule.

August 5, 2020

Clare’s close friend Michelle Money wanders into this mess with a plot twist, INSISTING Clare and Dale never once exchanged texts or DMs. “Clare Crawley never spoke to Dale before filming,” Michelle says on her Instagram Stories. “That is 1,000 percent factual information. Never happened, fake news. She was impressed by his social media account. But never DM’d, never texted, never talked. 1,000 percent fake news.”

August 6, 2020

A flood of former Bachelor Nation stars start showing up on-set, prompting me, bored at home with almost nothing to do but spiral into reality TV conspiracy theories, to wonder if ABC is secretly filming a new show. Some quick pieces of evidence for you (JUST LET ME HAVE THIS):

(1) Becca Kufrin is spotted on The Bachelorette set, wearing the same green bracelet that members of production are wearing.

(2) @newsnextdoor spots Sydney Lotuaco on what looks like set, also wearing the green bracelet:

Photo credit: Instagram
Photo credit: Instagram

(3) Ashley Iaconetti is also spotted on-set due to the REFLECTION in her GLASSES:

Oh, and meanwhile, Hannah Ann Sluss is spotted on-set with the world’s biggest suitcase, just saying!

August 7, 2020

Things continue to get progressively weirder due to reports that Clare and Dale have been whisked away to some “private home.” According to a source at OK! Magazine, the couple will be staying there “until the show debuts” and “it has been made perfectly clear that if either Clare or Dale want to be considered for Dancing With the Stars—which is the natural progression—or any other future with the network, they will do what they are told to do!” Um...okay.

September 1, 2020

ABC leans into all the rumors and speculation by dropping a promo of Clare and Dale fully making out. Here it is over and over and over again! Enjoy!

September 30, 2020

Reality Steve shares some simply SCALDING tea, claiming that they always planned to replace Clare with Tayshia and even went so far as to plant the seed in Clare’s head. Per Steve, “This was in productions plan before Clare’s season started. They knew Clare would be removed at some point during this season and replaced as the Bachelorette by Tayshia. Did Clare know? No. Did the guys know? No. But production sure as hell did.”

October 12, 2020

In an exclusive People clip, we see Clare and Dale meet for the first time and the sparks. They fly. By which I mean, Clare legit says the following words: “Oh, man. I definitely feel like I just met my husband. I’m shaking!”

October 14, 2020

Clare responds to fans who think she fell for Dale too fast, telling Us Weekly, “My question would be to the people that are saying that—to the people that question it—what exactly is the formula for falling in love? Is there one way to do it? Is there one example of this is how it’s done? Who are these people to decide how long it takes somebody to fall in love? Is it a week? Is it a month? Is it a year? Is it two years? How people fall in love and the amount of time that it happens or what the process is [changes]. It’s not for anybody to really decide if there is a cookie cutter for that.”

October 20, 2020

Clare is spotted wearing what’s clearly an engagement ring in photos obtained by Page Six, and there’s so much speculation that she hops on Instagram to calm everyone down, claiming the ring was a gift to herself:

“People have noticed I wear this ring on my wedding finger and have asked why! The truth is because it is a commitment to myself first and foremost, to embody self-love. In the past I found myself getting into relationships where there was little to no reciprocity and, in the end, would feel depleted and empty. This is my promise to myself, to make sure I always had enough self-love that no matter what happened, I was committed to loving myself unconditionally, and that is something no man could take away from me.”

October 26, 2020

According to Entertainment Tonight, Clare Likes a series of verrrrrry pointed tweets by Bachelorette viewer Marietou Sangare, implying she was forced out by producers:

“I think they were trying to force her out on some real. It was reported that she quit 12 days after filming and she locked herself in her room and wouldn’t come out, which was hard to believe considering how bad she wanted it. And I really feel like they are giving her a bad edit (just my opinion). They are feeding into the narrative and the rumors and making it seem like it was Clare’s decision that this ended and I feel like that’s not the case.”

Honestly, this is all so much—but for more on this potential twist, head here:

October 28, 2020

Chris Harrison responds to Clare implying that she was forced off The Bachelorette, telling Entertainment Tonight:

“I would just say she has complete control. This season of ‘The Bachelorette ’was completely about Clare. It’s all about Clare, and she will decide where we go from here. It’s totally, completely up to her.”

Oh, and um, he also tells ET that he hasn’t spoken to Clare “for a few weeks.” Yikes!

November 5, 2020

It’s OFFICIAL official—Clare ditches The Bachelorette in favor of Dale, and they finish their time on reality TV with an engagement!

They also went on Instagram Live to gush, as you do. Don’t you just love love?

December 31, 2020

After a year that can only be described as EVENTFUL, Dale and Clare ring in 2021 together looking as happy as ever:

Photo credit: Dale Moss - Instagram
Photo credit: Dale Moss - Instagram

January 14, 2021

Clare and Dale are still going strong! Dale gave a sweet interview about his fiancée where he admitted he only went on The Bachelorette because of Clare.

“Now, I could have never planned what happened because I was nominated,” Dale said during an episode of Raising the Bar With Alli and Adrian. "I never actually signed up. And I turned it down over and over and over again. And I actually finally committed to it four days before everyone was supposed to leave for the show. And the only reason I committed to it was because Clare was announced as Bachelorette at that time."

You love all the deets on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. So do we. Let’s overanalyze them together. ✔️

January 19, 2021

Bad news: Clare and Dale are on a break, and it sounds like it may turn into a permanent breakup.

“Clare and Dale have been fighting a lot recently,” a source told E! News. “They are mainly in disagreement over lifestyle preferences. Dale wants to be in a lively city and focus on his career, and Clare is rooted in Sacramento to help care for her mom. It’s been very tense recently between them.”

The outlet’s insider claimed Dale feels like things are moving too fast. “They are both still getting to know each other and figuring it all out,” the source said. “They’ve decided to take some time apart for now....They are still figuring out the logistics of their relationship and if they will stay together.”

January 20, 2021

Clare isn’t taking the split well...at all. Despite “trying to focus on herself right now,” she’s “completely devastated,” a source tells E! News. And since we all want to know, the source adds that Dale is the one who “broke it off.”

“Clare and Dale were taking time apart and were working it out, but it led to a definite split,” the source explains. “Dale felt that he is not ready for marriage and was not ready to move to Sacramento for Clare. They were making a lot of plans that Dale could not commit to.”

FWIW, Dale posts a “joint” (remember this later) statement from him and Clare on his Instagram account, which says:

“I wanted to share with you all that Clare and I have decided to go our separate ways. We appreciate the love and support we’ve received from so many people, but this is the healthiest decision for both of us at this time.

“We strongly believe in leading with love and always remaining true to oneself—something our families have taught and instilled in us throughout our lives. We only hope the best things for one another.

“Please respect our privacy as we work through this together. —DM”

January 21, 2021

Yeahhh, turns out that Dale’s “mutual” statement wasn’t so mutual after all—Clare breaks her silence on the breakup for the first time and says she had absolutely no part in Dale’s comment yesterday, regardless of the many times we see “we" and “Clare and I” in his IG post.

She says:

“I was made aware of a ‘mutual’ statement at the same time you all were, so I’ve needed some time to really digest this. Speaking for myself, my intentions with this relationship have always been very clear, so the truth is that I am crushed.

“This was not what I expected or hoped for and am still trying to process this. 2020 was one hell of a year, with COVID, battling anxiety post-show, balancing a public new relationship, all while slowly losing my mother. It hasn’t been ideal circumstances, but that is life right. i have been looking forward to the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Our relationship was not perfect, but I can say that I was genuinely invested with all of my heart. i may not have all the answers, but I do know this—I will continue to show up, stand by my word, and be committed to love.”

January 25, 2021

Clare and Dale’s breakup goes from messy to messier. Cheating rumors against Dale start to emerge, focused around him and his friend Eleonora Srugo.

While Dale doesn’t reply to them publicly, Eleonora goes ahead and shuts that sh*t down, telling Reality Steve: “Dale and I are, and have been, platonic friends for a few years. We have never been romantically involved in any way. I was excited for his engagement and only wish him all the best. We have never been involved, dating or romantically in any way whatsoever. Any claims we dated or were romantically involved are blatant lies.”

Ben Higgins then accuses Dale of “blindsiding” Clare with his “mutual” breakup announcement. Dale later hops on his Instagram Stories to talk to his fans and says the breakup “didn’t come out of nowhere” at all, despite what people claim.

Here’s what Dale says:

“I finally feel comfortable getting on here after having some time to process everything that’s gone on. I know a lot y’all have seen me smile on social media and say I don’t seem as hurt or burdened by this. But that’s the farthest thing—like, this time sucked. Thank God I have the friends and the family that I have, because they’ve literally had to carry me through the last two-plus weeks.

“Building a relationship, in general, is tough, especially when you’re doing it in the public eye. People will spread lies or always want to point the finger but the fact of the matter is there’s no one person to blame in this situation. Like every relationship, we’ve had our ups and downs and you know, have gone through our things but you know the statements that came out—like, this didn’t come out of nowhere.

“I love Clare and respect Clare enough to let her know how I feel, even if that’s against the expectations of everybody else, and it’s gonna take time. I wanted nothing more than to make this relationship work, and I put my heart and soul into it each and every day. And I wanted nothing more than to build a healthy relationship.

“While this is going to be difficult, what you’ll see for me is trying to practice what I preach and continue to put my best foot forward each and every day.”

January 28, 2021

...AND Dale still has more to say about his breakup with Clare. After fleeing to Florida for a “quick reset,” Dale hopped on Instagram to let his followers know why he needed the getaway (when we all really should be staying TF home!). In his Stories, he said:

“I literally just flipped the script the other night. I was like, I need to get out of the city. I’m huge on environment—I think environment makes such a big difference. But I flew down to Sarasota. Next to South Dakota, this is the closest place to home for me. Like, I remember even after my mother’s memorial service, I flew down here the next day, just to pray, and it was a really special spot for us.

“There’s just something special about it that eases a lot of stress and burdens, and I think the pandemic in general, the stressors from family, friends, people close to you. I’m someone who’s never had stress and anxiety, and the tail end, the last quarter of the year, was a f*cking beast.”

February 16, 2021

So the drama between Clare and Dale runs dry for two weeks, and before we know it...they’re seen casually hanging out with each other in Florida (sans face masks) like it’s nothing!

Reality Steve has allllll the pics and videos, of course:

Later that day, Clare and Dale are seen together yet again. This time, they quench their thirst with alcohol. “They were just hanging out, having a couple drinks,” an eyewitness tells Us Weekly, adding that things between them seemed...not very romantic. “It was just the two of them. They were laying low and people kind of left them alone.”

February 17, 2021

Clare and Dale are spotted grabbing dinner together. They don’t post pictures of themselves, but the matching dinners on their Stories speak volumes:

Photo credit: Instagram
Photo credit: Instagram
Photo credit: Instagram
Photo credit: Instagram

February 19, 2021

FINALLY—an E! News source gives us the intel we’ve craved on what the heck is going on between Clare and Dale.

According to them, here’s what happened: “Dale had regret over everything that happened between him and Clare and has been reaching out to her recently. She finally caved and decided to answer his calls and talk it out with him.” Cool-cool-cool, that explains why they linked up again.

And as for the status of their relationship, “Clare and Dale are not officially back together but are working on their relationship. There’s a lot of resentment, but Clare can’t ignore her feelings toward him,” the source says. “Clare has forgiven Dale for his actions and the messy split and wants to move forward. She has expressed she is still in love with him and wants to make it work.”

Dale is reportedly “very receptive” toward Clare’s feelings about the situation and “regrets how the split happened.” If things keep going well, the source says Clare juuuust might go to New York City with Dale (hmm, sounds like another Bach couple we know!), and “they are just spending time together right now to see if it can work.”

February 20, 2021

Clare and Dale are fully hanging out together at the beach, and what’s more? They’re holding hands.

Of course, Clare and Dale do not confirm anything or post each other on their feeds, but Clare Instagrams a picture of herself collecting seashells at the beach, which features Dale’s gold painted toes—because of that bet he lost to Clare, FYI—in the background:

March 10, 2021

E! News comes through again with more Clare and Dale intel...and it doesn’t sound promising.

“At this point in time, Clare and Dale aren’t getting back together,” a source close to Clare says. “They want to be friends and do want to see each other but don’t think they have a long-term future together. Clare is trying to move on, but she is still in contact with Dale.”

March 18, 2021

...AND Clare and Dale are caught kissing—through their masks!—on the streets of New York City, which you can see with your own two eyes here. Surely this means they’re back together, no?

An Us Weekly source updates fans on where things stand between Clare and Dale: “Clare and Dale are dating again, they’re working on things in their relationship,” a source tells the outlet. “Nothing has been made official with regards to an engagement, they’re enjoying their time together and taking things as they come.”

A second source tells Us that Clare and Dale are “taking things slowly” as they navigate this stage of their relationship.“They are now just starting to really understand all the difficulties a public relationship can create, and they want to make sure they are giving their relationship the opportunity it deserves without all stress and anxiety that followed after the show,” the source says, adding they are also “supporting one another” as they figure out their lives post-Bachelorette.

March 21, 2021

It’s Clare’s 40th birthday, so naturally, she and Dale spend time in Napa to celebrate with fine wine. “Beyond thankful to every one of you that sent birthday messages,” Clare posts to her Instagram Stories. “My heart is full and [it] truly has meant so much as I read all the messages of love! Cheers to being blessed with another year XO.”

Photo credit: Instagram
Photo credit: Instagram

Dale also hops on his instagram Stories the same day and declares, “Napa is special. I’ve fallen in love with Napa,” while making eye contact with someone off-camera (Clare perhaps??) “Too much vino.”

Photo credit: Instagram
Photo credit: Instagram

April 7, 2021

Clare and Dale are back and Insta official!

Photo credit: Instagram
Photo credit: Instagram

“Clare and Dale are dating again; they’re working on things in their relationship,” a source tells Us Weekly. “Nothing has been made official with regards to an engagement, they’re enjoying their time together and taking things as they come.”

April 16, 2021

The people—i.e., fans of Bachelor Nation—wanna know: Now that Clare and Dale are back together, are they planning to get engaged again? Short answer: Don’t bet your money on it happening anytime soon!

“Clare and I, we’re in a good place. When the time is right, we will definitely talk about all those things. For right now, we’re just focused on one another. We’re keeping things private and that’s working for us. In time, we’ll speak about that together,” Dale tells the Hollywood Raw Podcast (via Entertainment Tonight).

Oh yeah, and remember those Dale cheating rumors from way back when? Dale says that talk had absolutely nothing to do with their initial breakup, despite what fans thought at the time. “That was never a conversation, even when we went through our split. It wasn’t even a thing. It was never even a topic of conversation. You really have to look past that and focus on one another. I mean, that sucked. When things are going at your character and something you’re completely against, those are the hardest things to handle,” he says. Good to know!

April 27, 2021

Welp, Clare is fully out here wearing a ring on her wedding finger, which has naturally sparked rumors that she and Dale are engaged again.

And it doesn’t help, like, at all that the ring looks suspiciously familiar to the one that Dale gave Clare during The Bachelorette finale.

Photo credit: ABC
Photo credit: ABC

May 28, 2021

PDA alert: Dale posts the sweetest pic of him and Clare hanging out with a restaurant, with the cutest caption: “This makes me happy.”

May 29, 2021

Dale finally makes his first official appearance on Clare’s feed since their breakup. Well, kinda—one of Clare’s dogs takes a nap in his lap, which she just has to take a snap of—she just makes sure to exclude Dale’s face, LOL.

June 5, 2021

Clare posts a pic of her and Dale engaging in a little dance and posts it to her feed, begging the question of “Can these two be any cuter?” Probs not.

July 6, 2021

Attention to those of you wondering what the heck is going on with Clare wearing her engagement ring again—turns out, she and Dale are indeed engaged! Again! Us Weekly says the couple is “engaged but still are working on building a solid relationship. They’ve discussed future plans but aren’t necessarily wedding planning. They aren’t rushing to tie the knot.”

Dale and Clare aren’t rushing into marriage because “they’re still working on some issues they have to overcome, but it’s not like they make it known,” Us's source adds. “They’re more private when it comes to their issues. The good thing is that they’re happy together and enjoying this time as an engaged couple. They love each other very much and care for each other.”

August 20, 2021

Bach Nation is set on fire with rumors that Clare and Dale secretly got married.

Celeb gossip account @deuxmoi came through first with the intel from two separate tips. The first said: “Clare and Dale are married. They did it in ‘secret’ but filmed it with a small crew and serious NDA. Negotiating with print outlet to coincide with streaming wedding special.” And the second tip reiterated the claim: “Yes, Clare and Dale are married!!” It also mentioned that the couple is “so happy” and is hoping to pop out babies “ASAP, like within the next few months.”

Fans also spotted Dale on Clare’s Instagram Story wearing a band on his ring finger, taking the speculation even deeper.

September 27, 2021

Clare and Dale are over. Again. Maybe. Page Six reports that the couple has broken up after Dale was seen solo at a wedding of a mutual friend. A source tells the outlet “Dale and Clare have split again. This time it’s for good. It didn’t end well.” Neither of them comment on the news, but yikes!

October 5, 2021

Welp, Clare and Dale's breakup news is definitely legit...and definitely messy. Both of them confirmed the split, and the subtext seems super messy.

Things started to get awk when Clare shared a cryptic Instagram post referencing the split...and subtly tagged Abigail Heringer in it.

Abigail quickly untagged herself from the post, but the red flags were already all the way up around Bachelor Nation. The mystery of “Why Did Clare Tag Abigail in That Cryptic Instagram Post” was not so mysterious to people who had seen a post on IG gossip account Deuxmoi though, since, according to Us Weekly, Clare’s post came just a couple of hours after Deuxmoi shared an anonymous tip about a potentially scandalous Bachelor Nation hookup.

A few days after this storm, Dale went ahead and released his own statement to People via his rep that notes Clare blocked his number (yikes!), saying in full:

"Dale and Clare broke up in mid September when Clare was in New York City spending time with him," the statement, given to People, reads. "Clare then chose to fly home to Sacramento and asked Dale to send her things. A couple of weeks later, Clare's mother's condition worsened, and Dale chose to immediately fly out to Sacramento to be with her. Dale flew to Sacramento last Tuesday morning to be with Clare, her mother and their family. On Wednesday, Dale flew to Los Angeles for a work obligation and had every intention to travel back to Sacramento to be with her but his number was blocked, which made it impossible to communicate with Clare. It is unfortunate that the next time Dale heard anything from Clare it was on social media."

Presumably, Dale is referencing the post on Clare's Instagram—which she tagged Abigail Heringer in amid rumors that she and Dale had hooked up.

Obviously, this ongoing Bachelorette storyline-turned-love story-turned-breakup-turned-love story-turned-breakup again shows no signs of slowing down, so check back here for more updates as we have them.

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