Iyanna McNeely opened up about what allegedly caused her divorce from Jarrette Jones, claiming she’d previously been “gung-ho lying for this man and protecting him”
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Photo: Ser Baffo/Netflix (2)
Iyanna McNeely is sharing why her Love Is Blind marriage to Jarrette Jones really ended.
While speaking on her Feel in the Blank podcast, McNeely, 29, claimed Jones, 33, cheated on her — something she learnedaound the time Netflix was filming for season 2’s After the Altar.
“Jarrette cheated. I found out three days before After the Altar,” she said. “I received an email with very specific details.”
McNeely said her instant response was to file for divorce, which she later did in October 2022.
“Immediately I was like, ‘I want a divorce. I want a divorce,'” she said, noting that her mom talked her down. “And my mom was like, ‘Iyanna, you’re making a decision on anger,’ and I realized she’s right. I couldn’t do that, it’s a marriage.”
After months of trying to make things work, McNeely realized both she and Jones were “unhappy.” She added: “It was a terrible fit. He wasn’t ready, and I guess to an extent, I wasn’t either. However, I would have been a good wife to someone who has been a good partner to me.”
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Jarrette Jones and Iyanna McNeely. Charles Sykes/Bravo/Getty
Love Is Blind‘s Iyanna McNeely and Jarrette Jones Announce Split: We’re ‘Going in Different Directions’
As fans know, McNeely and Jones met through the pods and got engaged on the Netflix hit’s second season. While the couple eventually made it down the aisle, they experienced some bumps leading up to their wedding day.
The two Chicago natives worriedaout the differing lifestyles clashing, including Jones’s tendency to go out and party, but ultimately chose to comprise to make their love work.
However, as shown on Love Is Blind: After the Altar, things got rocky for McNeely and Jones not long after tying the knot.
“Marriage is not easy. If anybody tries to tell you it is, that’s a lie,” Jones said, as McNeely added, “Is this a mistake that we made? Or, is it something that should be fought for?”
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Jarrette Jones and Iyanna McNeely. Adam Rose/Netflix
Love Is Blind‘s Iyanna ‘Went to Sleep Crying’ Over ‘Mean’ Comments After Announcing Split from Jarrette
On her podcast, McNeely explained why she was finally deciding to share her side of the story after staying quiet for months.
“What actually happened in my divorce has been eating at me because I can’t talk about it. OK, I won’t talk about it,” she shared. “Number one, is because I know the impact it’ll have on Jarrette. Number two is because I went so gung-ho lying for this man and protecting him. And number three, if I’m honest, because I went back for a quick little second, so I feel like I have no right to speak.”
Jones hasn’t commented on McNeely’s claims, though he did post a since-expired Instagram Story that read, “Been taking the high road for quite sometime… story time soon,” according to Entertainment Tonight.
PEOPLE has reached out to Jones for additional comment.
Though their divorce was finalized in November, McNeely and Jones seem to be on good terms now. In February, the reality star was hospitalized with a Bartholin cyst. Jones was one of McNeely’s supporters while she was battling the pain.
