‘MAFS’: Karen Opens up About How the Coronavirus Pandemic Impacted Her and Miles’ Marriage
Married at First Sight fans have accused Karen of not being committed to her marriage to Miles ever since she discovered his identity prior to their wedding. This season captures the couples during the coronavirus quarantine. In a new interview, Karen explains how the pandemic impacted her and Miles’ marriage.
Miles and Karen’s interaction during quarantine on ‘MAFS’
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, filming for this season of MAFS was extended for several weeks. The couples were forced to face unprecedented issues than previous MAFS couples due to the mandated coronavirus quarantine.
Viewers have been hard on Karen from the start, but watching her interaction with Miles during the quarantine ignited more criticism. Karen was called out for appearing emotionally disconnected, dismissive of Miles, and seemingly irritable to be in his presence.
Karen tells Madame Noire that editing makes it difficult for viewers to get a full picture. She also opens up about how the two tried supporting one another through such an unknown time.
Karen also says that the narrative that Miles is the only one who is considerate and showers their partner with gifts in the relationship is not accurate.
“I always tried to do little things for Miles—like bring home his favorite snacks or pick up things he needs / wants without him asking,” she says.
She continues: “For our anniversary I got him a vinyl record player and some new records since he loves music. I also used some Thai massage techniques at home after our initial session several times. Even on the tough days, we always found ways to let each other know we cared. The appreciation and respect has always gone both ways.”
Karen admits navigating marriage with Miles during the coronavirus quarantine is difficult
Fans of the show are aware of Brett and Olivia’s existing issues becoming heightened during the pandemic. The same can be said for Miles and Karen. The two struggled with communication, particularly with Karen having issues with being vulnerable to her new husband.
Karen’s job also did not help an already stressful situation as she’s a frontline worker who works in healthcare. Karen is honest about how her work affected her mood and interactions with Miles.
“I’m not going to lie, I was not my usual self during the start of the pandemic,” Karen admits. “It was tough. I was working really long hours (many days 12+ hours, including weekends) and I was struggling with how to deal with the new stress and emotions that stay-at-home orders brought. It was like navigating uncharted territory and I didn’t know how to handle it at first.”
She continues: “I didn’t know what I needed from myself to get through most days, so it was especially hard communicating those unknown needs and new feelings to my husband who I had only known for about a month at the time. I don’t think people realize what a mind f*ck that whole situation was.”
She further elaborates on how the pandemic contributed to more issues in her marriage.
“Miles and I were both struggling for different reasons during the first part of the pandemic,” she says.
She continues: “It made everything feel harder because you’re taking in all of these vastly new (and large) life changes at once. I think it clouded a lot for us and made communicating with each other hard. By now, you all know I’m an introvert—I was stressing so hard internally to process everything with no downtime. The camera crew was gone, but the pandemic was like the new elephant in the room.”
Married at First Sight airs every Wednesday on Lifetime at 8 pm EST.
