The Viall Files

E1055 – Going Deeper with Britani Bateman and Jared Osmond: A Situationship Deep Dive

December 31, 2025

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  • Jared Osmond initiated this appearance on *The Viall Files* to address his 'villain edit' on *The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City* and clarify his tumultuous, on-again/off-again relationship with Britani Bateman, which he admits is largely his fault due to his reactions to the show's pressures. 
  • Jared revealed that his reluctance to fully commit to filming and his reactive behavior during conflicts, especially concerning Britani's interactions on the yacht, are rooted in his desire to protect his children and his aversion to the fame associated with reality television, a world he grew up around via the Osmond family. 
  • The relationship between Jared and Britani is characterized as a 'situationship' marked by multiple breakups, stemming from Jared's tendency to pull back when feeling overwhelmed by the public nature of their relationship, which in turn triggers Britani's pattern of running away, despite both acknowledging deep affection and even having been briefly engaged. 
  • Britani Bateman and Jared Osmond confirm they are currently a committed couple, having worked through their previous dysfunctional dance of breaking up and reconciling. 
  • Jared Osmond admits to subconsciously 'poking the bear' (testing Britani) as a way to force a 'pause' in the relationship when overwhelmed by the pressures of reality television. 
  • Britani Bateman views her relationship with Jared as being built on a strong foundation of friendship, which is now allowing her to feel emotionally safe enough to stay and work through conflict rather than immediately fleeing. 

Segments

Jared’s Osmond Family Background
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(00:03:52)
  • Key Takeaway: Jared Osmond’s father is the oldest brother of Donny Osmond, and the Osmond family initially started singing to afford hearing aids for his deaf father and uncle.
  • Summary: Jared is related to the legendary Osmond family, with Donny Osmond being about ten years older than him. The family’s musical career began in the 70s with the goal of purchasing hearing aids for Jared’s father and uncle, who are both deaf due to nerve damage from radiation treatments as babies. Jared’s family generally disapproves of his participation in The Real Housewives.
Reluctance to Join Reality TV
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(00:06:19)
  • Key Takeaway: Jared was pulled into filming Season 5 after Brittany Bateman’s final casting interview, realizing only then that his participation was a requirement for her storyline.
  • Summary: Jared reluctantly agreed to film because he did not realize his involvement was a prerequisite for Brittany’s casting, sitting in on an interview with seven Bravo executives. He had never watched reality television before seeing himself on the show, which immediately created a ’tidal wave’ of negative attention. He acknowledges that the show has painted him as the villain, often using short, out-of-context edits of his longer explanations.
Origin of Brittany and Jared’s Relationship
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(00:07:24)
  • Key Takeaway: Jared and Brittany ’trauma bonded’ after discovering their respective partners had gotten together, leading to a month of phone calls before they ever saw each other.
  • Summary: Their relationship began when Jared called Brittany after learning her husband got together with his ex-girlfriend, leading to a shared shock and bonding experience. For the first month, they only spoke on the phone, and Jared did not know what Brittany looked like or who she was outside of the situation. They leaned on their friendship, which has been the foundation of their connection.
Defining the Situationship
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(00:11:38)
  • Key Takeaway: The relationship is a ‘situationship of the highest order’ complicated by both being in the middle of divorces and the constant pressure of the show, leading to monthly ‘pause buttons’ or breakups.
  • Summary: Jared, 55, and Britani, 54, are both navigating divorces, which adds complexity to their relationship timeline. Jared claims he has only broken up with her once, but they have hit the ‘pause button’ almost every month over two years because the relationship, complicated by the show, wasn’t working. He admits he overreacted during the yacht trip after hearing from other cast members about Britani flirting while they were on a break.
Jared’s Leaked DM Controversy
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(00:27:09)
  • Key Takeaway: Jared sent a harsh DM to a friend (later revealed to be a blogger) while broken up with Britani, claiming she manufactured drama for relevance and that he was the only one trying to make the relationship work.
  • Summary: The leaked message accused Britani of being scared of marriage and using Jared for relevance on the show, stating he had never walked away from her. Jared retracted the statement the next day, but the damage was done, and he attributes his reactive comments to the anger and heartbreak he felt at the time. He acknowledges that saying things like calling her ‘unstable’ is never received well, regardless of context.
Children’s Reaction and Future Filming
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(00:36:04)
  • Key Takeaway: Jared’s children are triggered by the show because Britani promised them she would not drag their father through the mud, a promise she broke, leading Jared to state he is done filming.
  • Summary: Jared’s adult children are triggered by the show, specifically by what Britani said in Season 1 about not dragging Jared through the mud, which she subsequently did. Jared feels he must live up to his word to his children by not participating in filming anymore to regain their trust. He believes the relationship’s instability is primarily his fault, but he plans to correct course by being a stable presence without giving Bravo content.
Jared’s Self-Reflection and Acceptance
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(00:48:15)
  • Key Takeaway: Radical acceptance of past mistakes is necessary for moving forward.
  • Summary: The speaker is focused on radical acceptance of things done wrong in the past. The only action possible regarding yesterday is repentance. This marks a transition point before Britani joins.
Better Wild Sponsorship Read
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(00:48:35)
  • Key Takeaway: Better Wild Allergy Relief Soft Chews contain Ancestral Advantage wolf probiotics and L. Sacchii to strengthen gut health and reduce itchiness.
  • Summary: Better Wild offers veterinarian-formulated natural ingredients to help dogs live longer, healthier lives. Their Allergy Relief Soft Chews include probiotics, L. Sacchii (clinically proven to reduce itchiness), colostrum, and salmon oil. Listeners can receive up to 40% off their order using the specific Viall Files URL.
Britani’s Reaction to Past Interview
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(00:50:55)
  • Key Takeaway: Reliving the history of their relationship through the interview was triggering for Britani.
  • Summary: Britani found listening back to the previous conversation triggering, describing it as reliving the trauma of their two-and-a-half-year relationship. She confirmed that she and Jared are currently a boyfriend and girlfriend couple. She recounted the painful experience of kissing Jared on stage at BravoCon while the crowd booed.
Relationship Status and Therapy
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(00:52:44)
  • Key Takeaway: Jared and Britani have been in and out of therapy to understand their triggers stemming from past divorces and reality television.
  • Summary: The couple has utilized therapy to understand their individual triggers related to past divorces and children. Britani felt Nick and Natalie understood their dynamic better than anyone, even without being in their therapy sessions. Jared noted that throwing reality television into the mix adds significant complexity to their issues.
BravoCon Experience and Fan Reaction
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(00:53:09)
  • Key Takeaway: Jared felt like ’the devil’ walking through BravoCon due to negative fan reactions regarding his past behavior.
  • Summary: Britani initially went to BravoCon with Olivia, and Jared arrived later, leading to a public kiss on stage that hurt Britani. Jared described walking through BravoCon as being in ’the middle of hell’ with people calling him names. He resolved to stop defending himself and instead accept that his on-screen reactions are polarizing and often edited to appear mean.
Build-A-Bear Incident Context
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(00:54:47)
  • Key Takeaway: The Build-A-Bear gift, intended as a private expression of love, became a source of public criticism for Jared.
  • Summary: The fans were frustrated that Jared did not say ‘I love you’ directly, instead using the phrase ‘you are loved’ in a private Build-A-Bear message. Jared explained the unicorn Build-A-Bear was a private tradition for his children, and he picked the unicorn because Britani called herself one. Britani acknowledged that despite the criticism, the gesture was the nicest thing Jared had done for her on TV.
Shifting Relationship Dynamics
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(00:56:19)
  • Key Takeaway: Britani realized she entered the relationship ready for commitment while Jared was emotionally unavailable due to his recent breakup.
  • Summary: Britani recognized that for two and a half years, the emotional investment tides had been reversed: she was ready when he wasn’t, causing her to pull back when he finally became ‘all in.’ She stated that she now trusts Jared because he has spent the last eight months proving his commitment after their final straw incident at ’the river.’ Britani clarified that Jared does not cheat, but rather takes an emotional step back, which triggers her to leave.
Post-Breakup Friendship and Jealousy
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(00:59:00)
  • Key Takeaway: During their eight-month breakup, Jared and Britani spent nearly every day together as friends, which caused jealousy when Britani dated others.
  • Summary: Even while dating other people during their break, Jared and Britani maintained daily contact as friends without any physical connection. Jared admitted to being jealous when he saw footage of Britani flirting with others, such as on a yacht, even though they were technically broken up. They agreed that they both acted like people who were broken up during those periods.
Managing Parental Triggers
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(01:01:54)
  • Key Takeaway: Britani actively demonstrates to her daughter Olivia that Jared’s presence does not threaten their mother-daughter bond.
  • Summary: Jared’s presence triggers Britani’s daughters, especially Olivia, who was younger when the initial trauma occurred. Britani manages this by ensuring Jared maintains physical distance when she and Olivia are bonding, such as when watching episodes together. She aims to continuously demonstrate that a man can be in proximity without coming between her and her children.
The Truth Behind BravoCon Reunion
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(01:03:54)
  • Key Takeaway: Jared initiated getting back together after Britani started dating someone else, leading to him knocking on her door while she prepared for a date.
  • Summary: Jared confessed that he pursued Britani after she began dating another person, leading him to knock on her door while she was preparing for a date. Britani confirmed she said yes to being exclusive with Jared after he asked her to be his girlfriend. Jared admitted his actions were driven by jealousy and the realization that Britani is his best friend.
Dysfunctional Dance and Conflict
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(01:07:52)
  • Key Takeaway: The couple’s recurring breakups stem from Britani’s trauma-induced ‘flee’ response to conflict and Jared’s tendency to ‘poke the bear’ when overwhelmed by the show’s pressures.
  • Summary: Britani tends to cut and run at the first sign of conflict or disrespect due to past trauma, leading to immediate blocking and declarations of being ‘dead’ to Jared. Jared admitted he sometimes consciously or subconsciously provokes her shutdown because he needs a pause from the show’s pressures and the negative impact on his name. They acknowledge this pattern is unproductive but are now trying to choose each other and communicate through triggers.
Plane Incident Footage Speculation
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(01:13:20)
  • Key Takeaway: Britani confirmed that no footage exists of the plane incident where Meredith allegedly said deplorable things to her.
  • Summary: Britani stated that no footage will be revealed regarding the plane ride, as explained in the reunion, because no one pulled out their phones. She described Meredith’s words as deplorable and inexcusable, suggesting they were projection from Meredith herself. Britani believes that if footage existed, the Bravo fans’ minds would be blown, and Meredith might face severe consequences.
Bronwyn and Todd’s Separation Leak
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(01:18:47)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts expressed confusion over whether Bronwyn’s relationship status is open for public discussion after she mentioned the separation on camera but then backpedaled.
  • Summary: It was noted that Bronwyn and Todd are separating, a fact that was leaked immediately after the reunion taping. The hosts and Britani were confused because Bronwyn seemed to put her relationship up for discussion on the show but then retracted the openness of the topic. This lack of transparency mirrors confusion experienced by other cast members during the show.
Future Outlook and Stability Check
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(01:21:27)
  • Key Takeaway: Jared and Britani are hopeful for a stable 2026 because they are now choosing to stay and work through conflict instead of fleeing.
  • Summary: Britani stated she is now emotionally safe enough to stay and work through issues, rather than executing her freeze/flee response to conflict. Jared expressed gratitude for the platform to speak honestly, acknowledging his past mistakes. They noted that in the month since BravoCon, they have not broken up, which is unusual for their relationship pattern.