Carlton and Diamond got engaged on the Netflix reality show Love is Blind. (Netflix)
Love is Blind contestant Diamond Jack has said that she regrets her “aggressive” reaction when her then-fiancé Carlton Morton came out to her as bisexual.
The Netflix show is a “social experiment where single men and women look for love and get engaged, all before meeting in person”.
The singles essentially speed date while encased in “pods”, so they can speak but never see each other. They are then encouraged to propose to each other, after which they can finally meet in person. They must then test their relationships in the real world, before getting married (or not).
Love is Blind has been described as both “the dystopian dating reality show we deserve” and “the final nail in the coffin of civilisation”.
Carlton, 34, and Diamond, 28, completed ten days of “pod” dates before Carlton popped the question. When they saw each other in person, they were just as in love and set off for a retreat in Mexico with the other engaged couples.
As they settled in for their first night, Diamond was “excited to make a beautiful life together”, but the feeling did not last long.
Carlton sat her down for a discussion, as he had not yet revealed to her that he was bisexual.
He said: “I really love you, but it’s like certain things are always in the back of my head. Like the past.”
He began to get tearful and continued: “It’s just stuff that we have to just discuss because I feel like I’ve always been in situations where people have abandoned me, and have rejected me… I don’t feel like you’re going to want me after this information. In the past… I have dated both genders.”
His coming out was at first greeted with silence and a blank stare from Diamond, so Carlton continued: “It’s a lot to accept, I get it. It’s OK.”
Summing up a damaging stereotype about bisexuality, Diamond eventually responded: “My question is how do you know I’m the love of your life? Do you ever feel like you need to go date another man?”
Carlton replied: “No, no, that is the biggest misconception in the world for men like me, who are honest. I love people for who they are, to the core.”
As he sat in floods of tears, Diamond said: “I just need time to think about this. I’m just going to go.”
The next morning, the pair met by the pool to discuss his sexuality again, and Diamond accused him of being “defensive” and “playing the victim”. She took off her engagement ring and gave it back to him, adding: “You’ve got some serious issues because you led me to believe that you were really into me.”
As the situation escalated, Carlton grabbed the ring, threw it into the pool and called Diamond a “b***h”. She responded, “F**k you, you f**ker,” before throwing her drink in his face and quoting Beyoncé as she stormed off: “Watch my a** to the next d**k, boy”.
Almost a year and a half after Love is Blind was filmed, the pair spoke to People and Diamond has now said that she regrets her reaction.
She said: “I would change the approach of it. I was trying to be very understanding, but I had questions because I’ve never been with a bisexual man.
“I don’t really know that community that well, but I respect the community. I love the community. I just had questions.
“Maybe I should have been more encouraging and maybe start off saying: ‘I’m happy you were able to open up to me. I’m happy you’re able to bring this to my attention at this moment in time.’ Or, ‘I’m happy you came out. I know this is very hard for you to do that.’
“That possibly could have changed that whole outcome of how we were aggressive toward each other.”
