The Bachelor was slammed on Tuesday's 'After the Final Rose' for speaking with Burnham weeks before ending it with Kufrin.
Arie Luyendyk Jr. says he would have broken up with Becca Kufrin "regardless" of his relationship with Lauren Burnham.
Fans saw the Bachelor brutally blindside Kufrin on Monday night's season finale of The Bachelor, explaining that he was ending their engagement just weeks after his proposal to pursue a relationship with his runner-up, Burnham.
In that conversation, Luyendyk mentioned he had merely spoken with Burnham over the phone for closure before the split, but on Tuesday's After the Final Rose, the women who competed on his season accused him of knowing Burnham would take him back weeks before cutting things off with Kufrin.
ET sat down with the Bachelor and his new fiancee, Lauren Burnham, in New York City on Wednesday, where he insisted that his breakup with Kufrin was inevitable.
"For me, I had one foot in that relationship the entire time, and that wasn't fair to Becca," he shared. "I feel like breaking off that relationship was the right thing to do, despite if Lauren would have taken me back. It would have happened regardless."
Luyendyk also has no regrets about choosing to air his and Kufrin's unedited breakup, despite him and Burnham not watching it -- and audiences who did watch it saying it was too personal for TV.
"I just wanted there to be no questions on that breakup," he explained. "I know that it's a very public relationship, and I think that doing on camera would just let everyone know that that decision was solely mine. And it told the story of how I ended up here, with her. And that's why I wanted it to be captured."
The 36-year-old race car driver didn't have a problem with his breakup being aired on TV, but over the course of the season, seemed upset at ABC for for how they portrayed him. Last month, he lashed out at producers over an Instagram promo.
"I think for me it was frustrating not seeing our relationship unfold how it really unfolded," he said. "From the beginning, there were a lot of things left out. There was just one side of this whole thing that was really frustrating."
"It is like reading the best book you've ever read and then watching a TV version of it," he continued. "You're not going to see all the great parts, or the parts that really were impact for me. In our relationship, there was a lot of things that were really important that were left on the table. That was frustrating to see."
As for how Luyendyk feels about Kufrin moving on to become the next Bachelorette, he and Burnham say they couldn't be happier for her, but they're not sure if they'll tune in.
"We're excited for her," Burnham expressed. "Wishing the best for her."
"We're really happy for her," Luyendyk agreed. "I'm really happy that she's going to get her fairy tale ending, and I'm confident she's going to do a great job."
"I don't know [if we'll watch,]" Burnham said.
"I think I could comfortably watch," Luyendyk added. "But that'll be in the future."
Kufrin's season of The Bachelorette has already begun, as she met her first five suitors on Tuesday's After the Final Rose. The season officially premieres Monday, May 28 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
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