Nicole Curtis has a surprising person somewhat in her corner amid her racism scandal. This week, HGTV cancelled the popular show Rehab Addict after footage surfaced of the host using the N-word on-camera during one of the renovations back in 2022. Nicole did not initially address or apologize for the racial slur after she got fired. Instead, she praised herself for creating a show that was "more real, more raw than anyone else." WTF. The television personality has faced a lot of backlash since the video came out, but someone is kind of defending her... and also badmouthing her at the same time! Here's the sitch! Related: Brandi Glanville DEFENDS Jill Zarin After She Got Fired Over Bad Bunny Comments! Her former boyfriend/Rehab Addict co-star Ryan Sawtelle, who is seen holding the ladder in the controversial clip, told TMZ on Thursday that he thinks Nicole is a bad person who treats those on the show like trash, so he is not shocked the video leaked. He mentioned reports about her old contractors suing her, claiming they were not paid for their work. And although Ryan isn't a fan of Nicole, he said she is not racist: "As much as I dislike her - and it may be validating to see her get in trouble - she is unequivocally not a racist. Nor has she ever said anything racially insensitive over the years we dated, and I have known her." Ryan claimed she often used nonsensical words and gibberish to avoid cursing on the show. Uhh... people should know better than to EVER use a racial slur in any context - it's WAY worse than cursing! Calling the incident "unfortunate," he added: "It was so unexpected, the crew laughed because we knew that isn't her." He then insisted he's just telling the truth and nothing

MORE: "Due to the fact I'd rather run a marathon barefoot on LEGOs than speak to her again, I do not care what anyone really believes. I am just telling you the truth. The bottom line here is that videos like this are not leaked to damage 'good' people." What does Nicole have to say? She explained to TMZ that while she appreciates Ryan setting the record straight about the video, he doesn't know a thing about the culture of her set: "I appreciate that Ryan has admitted to the correct nature of the video. It is a manipulated, edited version. This footage was shot for my own use, documenting our house restoration. There was no contract with HGTV in 2022. This house was not filmed for HGTV in 2022. We have only communicated through attorneys for the past few years. He has had no involvement with the show that I produced on my own dime. He argued for a glory title, and we gave it to him. He is not someone to speak on any culture of any set of ours. My guys do not care for him because of the hell I went through with knowing him. I've done my best to be cordial and aired him in the best light. He continues to bring disruption to mine." Hmm... What are your thoughts, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF in the comments. To learn more about civil rights issues, check out https://www.splcenter.org/. [Image via Nicole Curtis/Ryan Sawtelle/Instagram] The post Former HGTV Star Nicole Curtis' Ex Speaks Out Amid Her Racism Scandal -- And What He Says May Surprise You! appeared first on Perez Hilton.