Speaking out. 

Bachelor Nation fans saw Clayton Echard look for love on Season 18 of “The Bachelorette” and again on Season 26 of “The Bachelor” as the leading man.

Since then, he’s kept fans updated about his life off-screen and has found a great love for dancing. 

He’s been posting videos of himself online showing off new moves but has unfortunately been met with a lot of criticism. 

Now, the former Bachelor has taken to Instagram to address these critics and share why he continues to post his dancing videos, despite receiving negative comments. 

In a new video, he said, “When I posted my first dance video on here, I did not have a plan whatsoever. I just wanted to show off something that I was trying that was new and that brought me joy. But the response that I got was unexpectedly positive when I posted and people were sending me tons of messages saying that I was inspiring them to try something new even at a later age. So I decided, I’ll keep posting.” 

Clayton continued, saying, “But after a while, I noticed the tone shifted. I started receiving more negative comments than positive ones. More shares than likes. And not because people were inspired but because people were sending it to their friends to laugh at me and criticize me for the way that I was moving.”

The Bachelor Nation star then addressed the comments and why he chose to learn dance in the first place.

“For the record, I chose hip-hop dancing specifically because I knew that it was going to be the hardest genre for me to learn,” he said. “I could have certainly picked something that was more on brand, like country two-step, and I probably would have looked better doing it. Here’s the thing: You don’t have to like my dancing. That’s fair. But if it bothers you so deeply, I encourage you to ask why.”

Clayton then shared why he continues to post his videos despite the criticism. 

“I ultimately want people to find their authentic self through overcoming fear,” he expressed. “Fear holds us all back in different capacities, but we can choose to overcome it and have the power within us. This is my journey on how I was able to do so and hopefully it can inspire you to do the same.”