MTV's Cory Wharton Slams Critics as He Defends Not Marrying Taylor Selfridge After 10 Years Together: 'You Guys Are Brainwashed by Society'

Cory Wharton fired back at criticism that he "wasted" Taylor Selfridge's time by not tying the knot after nearly 10 years together.

In a Q&A with fans posted to his Snapchat, Wharton, 35, responded to a question that asked, "Do you feel like you wasted her time after not taking that commitment of marriage?"

The Challenge star questioned why he continued to hear same complaint following their split announcement on October 8, emphasizing that "no time was wasted."

"People are like, 'Oh my God, you wasted her time!' Wasted time? Do you know how many memories [we have]?" Wharton told his followers. "We have two beautiful kids together ... What are we talking about?"

Wharton claimed his critics were "brainwashed by society," and slammed them for judging his relationship with Selfridge.

"Society has it so mixed up where it's like, 'Oh my God, you have to get married! You have to have kids!'” he continued. "The only thing we didn’t do was get married. That’s the only thing! So what? One day of being married is going to change and take back all those memories and make them that much better? That's not how it works!"

Despite the split, Wharton looked back on their romance fondly, saying they shared "so many laughs" throughout their nearly decade-long romance.

"So many memories. Like I said, we went on great vacations," he wrote. "We still work together great as a team. It’s just that the love wasn’t there."

Wharton and Selfridge, 32, first met while filming MTV's Ex on the Beach in 2017. The pair went public with the relationship in 2019, welcoming their daughters, Mila, in 2020 and Maya, in 2022. Wharton is also a father to his 9-year-old daughter Ryder, whom he shares with his ex Cheyenne Floyd.

Selfridge was open about her desire to take the next step in their relationship and get engaged, saying in a March 2024 interview that "clock was ticking."

"He's only got so much time," she said at the time. "He's had enough time."

The couple shocked fans by confirming their split in separate statements on October 8.

"Taylor and I have decided to go our separate ways, as hard as that is to say publicly, I think it’s important to be honest about where my life is at this moment," he wrote alongside a photo of him and his three daughters. "I'm sorry, Taylor, that things didn’t work out the way we both hoped they would. I know there were times I could’ve been better, and I’m sorry for the ways I let you down."

Selfridge offered a different perspective, telling her followers that she left the relationship after "not getting the basic respect from the person" she was with for nine years.

"I'm sure everyone could tell the last few years. I deserve more than that and I'll get that," she wrote via her Instagram Stories. "End of story."