All Twitter has been talking about since Valentine’s Day is the saga of #HurtBae.
In a now-viral video shot for The Scene, we met ex best friends and lovers Kourtney Jorge and Leonard Long III, who parted ways after he cheated numerous time during their relationship and showed no remorse for his actions. Viewers watched in agony as Jorge confronted Long after their breakup and her heartbreaking emotional response to their painful conversation has spawned memes, timeline debates over who’s to blame after infidelity and endless retweets.
He cheated on her. Now she wants to know why. pic.twitter.com/5hdlpKisjZ
— The Scene (@SCENE) February 15, 2017
Jorge spoke exclusively with ESSENCE about her newfound viral fame, the strength she has found in forgiveness and why she believes that #HurtBae is about empowerment.
Before shooting the video last November, the 23-year-old approached the situation with hopes of finding some sort of peace regarding a relationship and breakup that once left her feeling broken.
“At the time, I felt like it was important for me to know the truth about everything to finally get to the bottom of it, get closure and try to move on,” she shared. “I was nervous about the video being released initially. So I’ve embraced #HurtBae and look forward to empowering more women in similar situations.”
Through her experience with Long, the Atlanta native revealed that while the relationship was traumatic, it taught her a powerful lesson about love no matter who she’s with.
“I’ve learned that honesty is crucial to any relationship,” the aspiring model added. “I’ve also learned that facing truth can be difficult but ultimately it makes you a stronger person. I really believe in the power of forgiveness for my own well-being and I don’t like holding grudges because it’s just not who I am.”
While Jorge is in a new relationship now, it’s not one she’s willing to share or discuss with the Internet after her viral fame, but DMers should now this: #HurtBae is now #HappyBae, so meme that.