‘Married at First Sight’: Katie Conrad Claps Back at Haters and Defends Herself On Instagram
Katie Conrad and Derek Sherman ended their marriage on bad terms, to say the least, on Lifetime’s Married at First Sight Season 10. The young couple frequently fought over everything from Derek’s dreams for the future to their past relationships and their dwindling sex life. After weeks of near-constant arguments, Katie and Derek finally decided to call it quits shortly after Decision Day.
At the Married at First Sight reunion, however, things got even more uncomfortable between Derek and Katie. Derek accused his wife of having had an affair with an ex who ghosted her shortly before she signed up for the show. While Katie admitted to sleeping with her ex not long after she and Derek decided to separate, she insisted she hadn’t cheated on Derek just after the honeymoon, as one of her castmates allegedly suggested.
Since the season wrapped, Katie has drawn plenty of criticism on social media. Recently, the Married at First Sight star made her Instagram account public again and defended herself against trolls and negative comments.
Katie admitted that she ‘said hurtful things’ during her marriage to Derek in a recent Instagram post
After Season 10 ended, Katie got so much hate on social media that she turned off the comments on most of her Instagram posts. The one exception? Her most recent post, in which she shared “the truth” about her tumultuous and ill-fated marriage to Derek.
The mental health professional opened up about her experience on Married at First Sight in a caption underneath a photo of herself with her now ex-husband. “So here’s the truth- We didn’t fall in love, we weren’t as compatible as we hoped to be,” Katie wrote. “We agreed to move on and see other people.”
The Married at First Sight star admitted that she had not treated Derek as well as she should have. “I was at times not my best self. I said hurtful things, did hurtful things, and for that I’ve said my apologies and paid the consequences,” Katie confessed.
Still, Katie defended herself and expressed hope that she would eventually find her soulmate. “But I was also this- true to myself, and for that I won’t apologize. I signed up for this to give it a chance, and regardless of the opinions of others who watched from the outside, that’s exactly what I did- I gave it a chance,” Katie insisted.
She concluded by offering Derek well wishes in his future, writing poignantly: “Everyone deserves to find happiness and love, and I choose to believe it comes when it’s meant to. ‘Settling’ doesn’t mean that someone else isn’t worthy- it just means they aren’t what’s meant for you. As for Derek, I hope he finds this too.”
Fans had mixed reactions to Katie’s perspective on her marriage
Not everyone took Katie’s post well. Some commenters took the opportunity to criticize Katie for her affair with her ex during the last moments of her marriage to Derek. Others pointed out that Katie was hypocritical for advocating for kindness when she hadn’t always been kind to her husband.
“Be kind…you mean the way you were ‘kind’ to Derek?” one critic wondered under Katie’s post.
Other Instagram users were more welcoming towards the Married at First Sight star, admitting that they weren’t sure they knew the whole truth about what had happened behind the scenes. Others admired Katie for her willingness to open up about her flaws on social media.
“I will also admit there were times I was like she’s really mean,” one fan wrote to Katie. “HOWEVER thinking about putting myself in your shoes I’m sure I would have many moments as well. I think I am a lot like you after thinking about it and we aren’t mean we are real! Wish you the best!”
One Married at First Sight viewer gave their best wishes to Katie, suggesting that she use the show as a learning experience for future relationships. “I know the internet can be really cruel and I hate that! But I also hope you can watch yourself and reflect on how this process can make you a better person. Wishing you both all the luck!” they wrote diplomatically.
Another commenter praised her willingness to be raw and vulnerable on the show, writing generously: “My favorite on the whole show. You are so strong and vulnerable at the same time. You are an inspiration. Wishing you the best.”
The ‘Married at First Sight’ star still seems close with the other brides from the show
While Katie’s marriage to Derek certainly didn’t end well, it looks like she remained close friends with the other Married at First Sight Season 10 brides. Katie and the other brides forged a close bond during their season, even getting matching tattoos of the word “ten” on their ring fingers as an emotional tribute to their shared experience.
Judging by her Instagram photos, it looks like Katie even took a trip to Hawaii with two her fellow Married at First Sight brides, Meka Jones and Taylor Dunklin, earlier in 2020. Both Taylor and Meka also divorced their husbands (Brandon Reid and Michael Watson, respectively) at the end of the show.
“So grateful for them. Happy Wednesday,” Katie wrote in another post with her four fellow Season 10 brides.
Finally, it looks like Katie has a sense of humor about all the criticism from viewers, even though it probably hurts her. Katie clapped back at trolls who made negative comments about the shape of her chin. Posing in her reunion episode dress, she jokingly pointed out her chin in one of a series of photos. “Swipe to see I do in fact have a chinny chin chin,” the Married at First Sight star joked good-naturedly.
