‘Love’s Unique Journey: Carlton and Diamond Open Up About Their Conflict, Challenging Moments, and Intense Backlash’

Carlton Morton and Diamond Jack have opened up about their unique experience on the widely popular Netflix reality series, Love Is Blind, and how their relationship has evolved since the show. On the show, Carlton and Diamond got engaged after only 10 days of getting to know each other through “pod” dates, where they never saw each other. However, the real test came when they finally met face to face.

When the couple arrived in Mexico for a vacation together, things took a turn for the worse. Carlton, a 34-year-old working with aspiring models and actors, chose this moment to reveal something he had kept hidden from Diamond. He shared that he had been intimate with both men and women in the past, a crucial detail he had not mentioned before proposing.

This revelation caught Diamond, a 28-year-old working towards her PhD in optometry, off guard. She felt betrayed, believing that Carlton had lied to her by omitting this information during their time in the pods. Carlton, on the other hand, interpreted Diamond’s reaction as rejection.

The vacation in Mexico became a breaking point for their relationship, and things unraveled from there.

The conversation continued on the following day and quickly escalated, with accusations, name-calling, a drink thrown in the face, and even a diamond ring being tossed into the pool. As a result, their engagement, relationship, and participation in the show’s “is love blind?” experiment came to an end.

However, life moved forward, and almost a year and a half later (as the show was filmed in October and November of 2018), Diamond and Carlton sat down with PEOPLE to discuss the altercation, the death threats they have received since the show aired, and their current standing.

PEOPLE: The connection between you two in the pods seemed so authentic and beautiful. But when you arrived in Mexico, there was a sudden change in the atmosphere. Carlton, do you think you entered the situation with preconceived notions and a defensive mindset?

CARLTON MORTON: By the time we reached Mexico, my nerves were completely shot. I had a conversation with the producers, expressing that it had been going on for too long, and I needed to tell her the truth. But so much had happened already. I was thinking to myself, “Am I going to walk down the aisle without telling her? At least I should talk to her before then.”

Now that you’ve had time to reflect on everything that transpired, what would you have done differently or how would you have handled it?

CARLTON: I feel like we were faced with situations that neither of us knew how to handle at that time, and we may not have dealt with them in the best way. If I could go back, I would listen more than I spoke. Even though it was a new experience for me, it was also a new experience for her. And when I say “new experience for me,” I mean the whole spectacle of being on TV, with cameras constantly in your face. It’s not just a private conversation; it’s a conversation with her and the entire world, and that thought was always in the back of my mind. I thought, “Netflix is going to see this. It will never go away. Future generations will witness this.” All those nerves made me defensive. I believed I was being rejected, and I counted myself out before she did.

DIAMOND JACK: I would change my approach. I tried to be understanding, but I had questions because I had never been with a bisexual man before. I wasn’t familiar with that community, although I have immense respect and love for it. I simply had inquiries. Perhaps if I had been more encouraging and started off by saying, “I’m glad you opened up to me. I’m glad you chose this moment to share this with me,” or “I’m proud of you for coming out. I know it must have been difficult,” it could have completely altered the outcome of our aggression towards each other.

When did you two reconnect?

CARLTON: It took a whole year before I reached out. I decided to send a message during the holidays because we were all on the GroupMe app where we could have private conversations. I saw that she was in the app, and the rest of the cast had already met up a few times. I didn’t go because I wasn’t sure how the energy would be. It wasn’t that I thought she would lash out or anything, I just didn’t want either of us to feel uncomfortable due to the lack of communication. So I wished her happy holidays, and she responded after some time. From there, it was just small talk like saying happy birthday. When we received the emails about the show coming out, I called her. I’m glad we were able to find common ground and still have respect for each other.

DIAMOND: I understand where Carlton was coming from. The reason I didn’t want to speak to him earlier was because I needed time to heal. I was genuinely hurt, as you saw me crying on national TV for hours. The cameras didn’t capture it immediately. So I needed that time to heal. Additionally, I wanted to make sure I knew what to say and understood where he was coming from. I deeply respect Carlton for coming out and sharing his story with the world. I know it can bring about both negative and positive reactions. It’s difficult for anyone to do something like that. So I wanted to be sure I had the right questions and approach. I also had to forgive him and reach a comfortable space with him. Once he apologized, I wanted to hear him out and understand why it happened. You never know what people are going through or their stories, so I wanted to know what led to that situation.

Were you both nervous about the episodes airing?

CARLTON: Yes.

DIAMOND: Absolutely. At one point, I even thought they might cut us out since we didn’t participate in more activities during the trip and didn’t make it to the altar like the others. Our story didn’t have a fairytale ending, so I wasn’t sure if they would include us or not.

Did you warn anyone in your lives about the upcoming episodes?

CARLTON: I did inform the people who mattered to me that I was concerned about their opinions. I told them, “This show is coming out, and it might be a tough time for me because I spoke my truth.” They didn’t press further and assured me that they had my back.

DIAMOND: I didn’t really tell anyone because I was extremely nervous and scared about what would be shown. I felt vulnerable having my entire life exposed on TV.

It seems like you guys have been receiving a mix of reactions, including some really awful ones like death threats. DIAMOND: It’s truly insane. I’ve been called so many terrible names, people calling me a disgusting person. It’s crazy. CARLTON: Let me be clear. The words I said were a slip of the tongue. I want to keep emphasizing that. It was putting her into a category with other women, not a direct insult. Some people understand that, others don’t… I can’t change how someone feels about how they were addressed. Understand what I’m saying? So I just have to respect it.

What do you want people to know about you that might not come across on the show?
CARLTON: If people can’t see that I’m a kindhearted person, then they’ve already formed their opinion of me. It’s evident in the messages I’m receiving. So there’s nothing I can say to change their minds. It’s just something that happened, and I believe that God has a greater lesson from this whole experience. DIAMOND: I feel like I put myself out there with an open heart. It clearly shows my intentions when I joined this experiment. I don’t think there’s anything I can say to make people see beyond that and realize that I’m not homophobic or against the LGBT community. I respect that community like I’ve said before. It’s just that people shouldn’t lash out at others when they don’t understand the community. It’s not that we’re ignorant or hateful, it’s just a lack of knowledge… I just didn’t know. I feel like people shouldn’t label me just because I was curious about a community I didn’t know much about.

So, could this experience be the foundation for a great friendship?
CARLTON: At this point, whatever happens, happens. It would be wonderful if we could become friends. But it takes time, I think. We both need to process our feelings and we still have different perspectives on what went wrong. DIAMOND: Exactly. I completely agree with Carlton on this show. We both still have a lot of growing to do, and I’m willing to grow. I love personal growth. I feel like we can at least reach a middle ground and have a conversation now because this is a sensitive topic. It still brings up emotions for both of us, even though it happened over a year ago, it still feels fresh.

The first nine episodes of Love Is Blind are now streaming on Netflix. The two-hour season finale will be available on Feb. 27.