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On May 14, 2025, social media influencer and podcaster Catherine Paiz responded to the recent claims made by her ex-husband, Austin McBroom. She started a series on Instagram called “Ask me anything" and addressed each question one after another.
One of the questions asked, “Does Austin’s response bother you? Like, how have you been dealing with it?” In her response, Catherine said it bothered her and she felt “really hurt.”
“A lot of the things he said were completely fabricated. But, however, I still love him, and even in the book, um, like I wrote so many beautiful things, and you guys will see. Um, and I also did a dedication to him, which I like call him my greatest teacher, which I do truly still believe,” Paiz said.
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Catherine claimed she shared the same with Austin over text earlier that day and added that she wanted people to love both of them. Elsewhere, Paiz addressed the “mermaid” story.
McBroom, a YouTuber and former basketball star, posted a lengthy video on May 12, 2025, where he alleged that Paiz was “addicted” to the South American plant-based psychedelic, ayahuasca. He also mentioned that under its influence, his ex-wife once called him a “mermaid.”
Now, Catherine Paiz has claimed that Austin McBroom dressed as a mermaid, donning wigs and old-woman attire, as part of a campaign photoshoot in Hawaii a couple of years ago. She also admitted to wearing mermaid fins herself.
Exploring further Catherine Paiz’s clarification about Austin McBroom’s recent claims
On Wednesday, Catherine Paiz answered social media users’ queries regarding Austin McBroom’s claims while sitting in the front seat of her car. Austin, the ACE Family patriarch, claimed that his former spouse referred to herself as the “reincarnated Virgin Mary” and refused to have s*x with him. In response, Paiz said:
“No, I never said that, but I will say… how deeply connected I am to Mother Mary. I even have like a necklace I always wear, and I even have um a statue of her in front of my house for protection…
"I just feel like since we are all one… all connected, she’s within all of us, and you can connect to her at any time… that’s such a deep thing,” Catherine responded and flaunted her necklace.
When asked how she felt about Austin’s reaction to her book excerpt, where she talked about his infidelity, Catherine mentioned that she had been “expecting” it, not just now but for many years. She claimed this was why it took her so long to come up with her memoir, adding that she was preparing herself and gaining strength to “tell my story.”
Catherine Paiz shared her wish that everyone had the opportunity to share their stories and make peace with their lives, noting that she was “excited” for her book’s release.
“I just want to tell my story, like I just want to free myself from you know the last, um, six, seven years of my life and things that I haven’t shared. And I am just excited for this new part of my life,” she added.
Elsewhere, the podcaster stated that she stayed back with McBroom longer than she should have because she had two kids and was pregnant with her third baby. Catherine Paiz shared that her life improved and she grew as a person when she replaced impulsiveness with patience.
Replying to the question of how her life has been as a mother and a woman, Catherine Paiz mentioned she was “still healing,” but had come really far, and was “genuinely proud” of the progress she has made. She added that she was in a “happy” place in her life right now, where she was just doing her own thing.
The mother of three also called her children her “biggest teachers” and gave them a shout-out for keeping her “grounded.” Paiz expressed feeling both “good” and “strong,” embracing the journey she was currently in. She also told her viewers that she would be doing “fun things” in the coming weeks and was gearing up for her second book.
While she mentioned that her connection to Jesus Christ became stronger over the last couple of years, she acknowledged having respect and belief for all “faiths” and “all ascended masters and deities.”
Towards the end, Catherine Paiz shared that she wished Austin McBroom gets all the “love” from the world, adding that she truly cares about him. She also clarified the situation regarding her ex-husband not posting his “video” a year ago.
According to the online celebrity, when she and McBroom separated more than two years ago, she wanted to issue a joint statement. However, he reportedly did not want that and preferred to post a video with her. Catherine Paiz disagreed to appear in the video.
“I didn’t want to sit side-by-side with someone that I didn’t feel like was going to actually be truthfully honest because he wasn’t even being honest with me and within our relationship. So, I knew for sure he wasn’t going to do it on camera.”
Paiz continued by claiming she had given him the go-ahead to record his video and offered him the benefit of doubt. However, when she watched it, she thought he wasn’t “sincere” and conveyed this to him.
Catherine alleged that at this point, Austin seemingly “recorded” her without permission and kept the video on his phone for future use, in case she wanted to narrate her story to the world, calling it his “calculated” move.
More about Catherine Paiz's upcoming book and Austin McBroom's video
Earlier this week, a snippet from Catherine Paiz’s unpublished book, Dolores: My Journey Home, went viral, where she discussed how she discovered that Austin McBroom was cheating on her.
However, Austin released a video claiming his ex-wife was aware of his infidelity and chose to remain with him long afterwards, while also making other claims about their marriage, such as a lack of affection from her side and her alleged ayahuasca addiction.
While he took accountability for ending their marriage, he said the content of Catherine Paiz’s upcoming book “blindsided” him. The former NCAA basketball guard added that he never intended to discuss their personal life but rather to protect the “mother of my kids and my kids” until this latest revelation, which he believes “lacked context.”
Austin and Catherine met each other at a dinner party in 2015 and got engaged two years later. In late 2017, they married and went on to have three children: daughters Elle Lively and Alaia Marie, and son Steel. They announced their divorce in January 2024.
Catherine Paiz’s book is slated to be released on July 1, 2025.
