Jason Tartick is opening up about the emotional toll of his breakup with Kat Stickler, reflecting on the moment he realized their relationship was ending.

During the Monday, February 3 episode of his Trading Secrets podcast, Tartick, 36, revealed that he learned about the split while spending time with his friend and fellow Bachelorette alum Justin Glaze.

“Last time I saw you, Justin, it was Disneyland. That’s where we recorded,” Tartick recalled. “That was the day I found out things weren’t going to work in my favor in my last relationship.”

Glaze, 30, chimed in, calling it “quite the roller-coaster of a day,” to which Tartick agreed. “That was a tough day, and even a worse day after,” he admitted.

Jason and Kat’s Short-Lived Romance
Tartick and Stickler, 30, first sparked dating rumors in April 2024 and confirmed their relationship in June. Their whirlwind romance became a hot topic among fans, especially since Tartick had recently ended his engagement with Bachelorette alum Kaitlyn Bristowe in August 2023. Stickler, a popular social media personality, had also been navigating life as a single mom to her 5-year-old daughter, MK, following her 2021 divorce from ex-husband Mike Stickler.

Despite their seemingly strong bond, Tartick and Stickler called it quits just six months later. He confirmed the breakup on October 12, 2024, sharing an emotional Instagram Story.

"I am sad to share that Kat and I are no longer together,” Tartick wrote. “It’s fair to say that I love hard with all my heart and fall fast. Sometimes in life that works out, and other times, it doesn’t. This time it didn’t.”

He continued, “Kat has brought me so much happiness and light. She brought out parts of me I never knew existed. I will forever be grateful for her and, of course, sweet MK. This chapter closes amicably, and another opens.”

Kat addressed the breakup in her own social media post, acknowledging that “a lot of people had already guessed” that the relationship had ended.

"It was amicable. It just didn’t work,” she said in an Instagram Story video, adding, “I don’t want to talk about it. Just wanted to tell you.”

Jason Tartick Calls the Breakup ‘Abrupt’ and ‘Unexpected’
While neither Tartick nor Stickler provided a direct reason for the split, Tartick hinted that it came as a shock to him.

"It was so abrupt and it was so unexpected,” he said in a January 2025 Trading Secrets episode. “Then, what I was hearing—these things I’m hearing publicly about speculation of what happened. I’m just sitting in my house, like, pulling my hair out. Like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’ That was, like, a really tough month. A really, really, really hard month.”

Tartick also revealed that he had been willing to relocate to Florida for Stickler and her daughter, but ultimately, the relationship didn’t work out.

"Everyone goes through breakups. It is what it is and breakups happen. This is why you date. If you have a sudden change of heart, she’s not to blame for that. That’s OK,” he said.

Despite his frustration, Tartick made it clear that he still respects Stickler. “It’s really no one’s business what happened, but I will say, I’ve seen every rumor out there, and none of them are accurate. You put a gun to my head, and I would never, ever be disloyal to her. I have a ton of respect and care for her.”

Moving Forward with New Perspectives
Reflecting on his experience with public breakups, Tartick admitted that he initially resisted speaking out.

"You [Justin Glaze] were a huge proponent of, during some of my breakups, for me to get out there and tell my story and tell my truth. I was always like, ‘No, no, no, no.’ And I don’t even think I really scratched the surface of doing that,” he told cohost David Arduin.

But now, he feels differently. “I do think I spoke a little bit in what I thought was a very, very honest, very real, and very respectable way. And I feel good about it. I feel a little bit more empowered to be more vulnerable.”

While both Tartick and Stickler are moving forward separately, fans continue to speculate about what really led to the split. One thing is certain—Tartick is learning how to navigate the challenges of love, loss, and public scrutiny with a new level of self-awareness.