Ryan Sutter finally addressed the cryptic Instagram posts he made about his wife, Trista Sutter, which sparked split rumors.
Speaking with Chris Harrison on Monday’s episode of the “Most Dramatic Podcast Ever,” he explained that Trista had abandoned the family home in May for an undisclosed reason. And because he couldn’t communicate with her, he took to social media to share messages she could later read when she went online.
“Trista wasn’t gonna be able to have access to social media until she got finished with this experience she was on,” Ryan explained.
“So I was gonna post these things knowing, like, the second she had access to it, she would look at it, and she could see, like, ‘Here’s what happened while you were gone.’ Here’s how much we missed you.’”
The former reality TV star, 49, furthered he and Trista, 51, had a “long year” and the messages he shared online were “the culmination of all that happened” in their lives.
“It just blew up in my face and backfired,” he explained. “If there is something really, really bad happening in my life, I wouldn’t be telling anyone. Most of my personal life stays pretty personal.”
The Bachelor Nation alum explained he merely loves social media to document memories he can look back on and to remember the “emotional state” he was in while writing certain captions.
In May, the father of two raised eyebrows when he took to Instagram to reveal Trista was spending Mother’s Day away from their family, though he didn’t disclose why.
“I know you wish you were here for Mother’s Day. We wish you were too. But sometimes being a mom means letting go of their hands, granting independence and stimulating their courageous spirit,” he wrote at the time.
“Sometimes it takes being uncomfortable and scared to show them that it’s ok to be uncomfortable and scared. Sometimes you have to go away so they know you’ll come back, that your love is not limited by distance or difficulty or time.”
Ryan continued the concerning messages, later writing, “I really wish I could talk to you. Ask you how you’re doing? How was your day. I’d really like to hear your voice – just for a minute.”
He continued, “So many times I’ve called without much to say, not realizing how lucky I was or how much I’d miss the opportunity if it were gone.”
As several worried fans flocked to the comments to check in on Trista’s whereabouts, the patriarch confirmed everything was “fine.”
“Trista is fine,” he wrote. “We are fine. We’re great.”
On May 26, Trista also returned to social media to reassure her followers that she was fine.
“Geez people. Can’t a girl have a nervous breakdown/trial separation/midlife crisis/death/divorce in peace around here?! 😜🤣,” the “Bachelorette” alum wrote alongside a photo of herself, her husband and their children, Maxwell, 16, and Blakesley, 15, on vacation.
The mom of two explained her absence, saying an “opportunity for perspective and personal growth” was offered to her.
“My stoic husband who usually chooses privacy over posting, decided to share his love for me in messages that would find me in my travels,” she continued.
For more Page Six reality TV updates…
“We look at Instagram like a digital diary. Most of the time, the world doesn’t pay too much attention. This time, he couldn’t say anything right and just about every news outlet picked up his ‘ cryptic/confusing/attention-seeking/dramatic’ pictures and captions.”
Trista claimed Ryan’s posts gave her the “love” she needed to get “through some serious self-doubt and fear.”
TMZ later reported that Trista was reportedly away filming “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.”
According to the outlet, she will join Season 3 of the reality show alongside “Bachelorette” alum Ali Manno.
The Fox series is known to put celebrities to the test as they train and complete challenges with ex-Special Forces operatives.
