‘Love Is Blind’: Ashley and Tyler Say ‘I Do’ Despite ‘Complicated’ Sperm Donor Situation
Crazy drama is par for the course on Love Is Blind, Netflix’s reality show about people who date and get engaged, sight unseen. Over seven seasons, we’ve seen sexting scandals, cheating accusations, painfully awkward first looks, cast members who dated prior to entering the pods, and plenty of love triangles and heartbreaking rejections at the altar. (And that’s to say nothing of the off-screen drama.) But season 7 came with a twist we’re pretty sure no one was expecting.
Initially, Ashley and Tyler seemed like one of the more drama-free couples in the Washington D.C.- set season of the reality show. They developed a sweet connection in the pods and seemed like they could join the short list of successful Love Is Blind couples. Then came the revelations about Tyler’s past.
Tyler from ‘Love Is Blind’ has three children
In episode 9, Tyler revealed that he’d been keeping a major secret from his wife-to-be: He has three children.
The bombshell news – which came two weeks before their planned wedding – left Ashley reeling.
“We’re talking about merging a union, and joining lives, this is something I should have known before agreeing to say yes [to marry you],” she told him.
Though Tyler had kids, he wasn’t exactly hiding a secret family, at least according to the show. He told Ashley that the children were the result of him donating sperm to friends so that they could have children. Ashley agreed that it was “admirable” for him to help out a couple in need, but was adamant that he should have revealed this information much earlier in their relationship. However, she seemed willing to forgive Tyler for not being totally transparent and move forward with their wedding. They ultimately said “I do” in the season 7 finale.
The mother of Tyler’s kids has a different story
Tyler told Ashley that his kids were the product of sperm donation. But according to the mother of his children, that’s not the whole story.
Soon after the Love Is Blind episodes dropped on Netflix, Bri Thomas shared a series of videos on her Instagram. She said that her oldest child was conceived via a sperm donation from Tyler –whom she called her “best friend” – while she was still married to her wife. When that marriage ended, she and Tyler naturally conceived twins. While Bri and Tyler were not in a romantic partnership, she claims he was an active co-parent to all three children.
Bri says she supported Tyler’s decision to go on Love Is Blind. But after he returned from the honeymoon in Mexico, he ghosted her and her kids. Now, she wants him to pay the back child support she says he owes.
What have Ashley and Tyler said about the sperm donation controversy?
Love Is Blind has not addressed the situation with Tyler’s alleged sperm donation beyond the scene where Ashley said she was OK with it. Fans of the show have been badgering the pair on social media, asking them to comment on the controversy. But neither is saying much.
“I’d love to open this dialogue further,” Ashley wrote in response to one comment on Instagram. “But for now I’ll say it’s more complicated when you donate to friends and family.”
“Just be patient,” Tyler commented on Instagram when someone accused him of trying to “delete” his past. “I’ll explain it all very soon.”
The Love Is Blind Season 7 reunion airs Oct. 30 at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT on Netflix.
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