Ex-Reality Star James McCoy Taylor Breaks Silence After Assault Arrest

Singer and songwriter James McCoy Taylor, known for his past reality TV appearance on "The Bachelorette," is once again in legal trouble. The 38-year-old was taken into custody at a bar in Brazos County, Texas this week following the issuance of arrest warrants.

Taylor is now facing accusations related to an incident involving a 19-year-old Blinn College student. The alleged events date back to April, when Taylor is said to have met the student at a Northgate bar, subsequently bringing her to a home in Bryan.

James McCoy Taylor is accused of assaulting the 19-year-old and not allowing her to leave the residence.

According to an arrest report obtained by KBTX, the incident involving James McCoy Taylor unfolded on Wednesday, April 24.

After meeting at a Northgate bar, Taylor and the 19-year-old woman proceeded to a condominium on W. 22nd Street in Bryan where Taylor had been staying. The pair initially shared a kiss in a bedroom, but the woman soon felt uncomfortable and decided she wanted to leave.

She later reported to police that Taylor's demeanor became "very serious and intense," and “got a look on his face that frightened her.”

According to the news station, the woman then went to the restroom to call a friend, who arranged for an Uber to pick her up. Upon leaving the restroom, she found Taylor naked on the bed. She asked that he get dressed and told him she wanted to leave.

According to KBTX, the document reported that as she attempted to leave, Taylor allegedly slammed the front door shut, forcibly kissed her, and threw her to the ground. Taylor is then accused of groping her before she managed to break free and escape to the waiting Uber outside.

The following day, Bryan police interviewed the accuser and found several contusions on her hip and buttocks. They also reviewed text messages exchanged between the woman and her friend, which corroborated her account of the incident. Some of the texts included phrases such as “Please come get me,” “I’m not ok,” and “He’s forcing himself on me.”

When questioned about the allegations, Taylor claimed the encounter was “enjoyable and consensual” and denied any wrongdoing, including the accusation of throwing the woman to the ground and groping her. The police noted in their probable cause affidavit that they found Taylor’s story unconvincing.

According to the news station, Taylor was arrested in the early hours of Sunday, August 4, after being located at a Northgate bar. He was booked into the Brazos County Detention Center on charges of Assault Causing Bodily Injury and Unlawful Restraint, with bail set at a total of $8,000.

Following his arrest, Taylor released a statement once again denying the allegations. “So let me get this straight. Not so much as a scratch on me as I showed to police via pictures of my whole body which was awkward, to say the least, and I’m a pretty big guy, but I was trying to ‘unlawfully restraint’ a girl and she just .. got away?" he said in a statement to KBTX. "And walked right to her Uber right outside my House? With no injuries? Okay, got it. This makes tons of sense."

"Trust me if there were any injuries they’d be all over the internet," he added.

Taylor later acknowledged that he could not recall the woman's name but mentioned that her family had confronted him about the incident. “I would never hurt anybody. I’m nice to every person I meet. That’s my statement," he said. "Now go ahead and trash my life because you hate my political stances or for the views, you’ll get on TikTok.”

Taylor first appeared on television in "The Bachelorette: Season 12," and went on to make national headlines when he threatened to sue several media outlets, alleging they falsely reported his involvement in the January 6 Capitol riot. Since then, he has built a following among conservatives on social media, where he frequently posts songs and content critical of Democrats.