Ashley Adionser from Netflix’s “Love Is Blind” S7 is finally breaking her silence about the scandal surrounding the fallout from her marriage to Tyler Francis.
The 32-year-old reality TV star appeared on the latest episode of the “What’s the Reality” podcast, hosted by fellow “Love Is Blind” star AD Smith, and addressed the scandal, the backlash she’s received, their impending divorce, and more head-on.
“What I will say is what I’ve learned and what I’ll take to other relationships is: be careful with your empathy,” Adionser told host AD. “Your empathy has to have boundaries. I’m a very empathetic person, and I think that he played on that with all of his sad stories of how he grew up and all these things. And so if I could do any minor thing differently, it would be to protect my empathy.”
After meeting and getting engaged, all without seeing one another, Adionser married Francis, 34, during the seventh season of the hit Netflix dating reality series. The popular show, which city hops each season, touched down in Washington, D.C. for the seventh season.
When filming wrapped and the show began to air, an onslaught of rumors surrounded Francis’ backstory. While filming, he admitted to being the biological father of three children; however, at the time, he said he was merely their sperm donor. He maintained that through the reunion, when they, as a united front, were lightly grilled about the mounting drama.
Adionser (and legions of internet sleuths) later deduced there was much more to that story. The children’s mother has even since come out to confirm as much. Adionser shared that she took matters into her own hands and searched his laptop for clues, which ultimately led her to conclude that he had been misleading about the nature of his relationship with the mother of his children.
“He is a pathological liar and I was looking at this man like who are you? If we don’t have the two biggest things in a marriage which are trust and honesty, then what do we have?” she said. And the social media backlash she faced after made it even worse. “It was so dark, it was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in my actual life,” she added.
Following the full reveal, the couple announced their split in January and she has not seen him since. She stated on the podcast that she can officially file for divorce at 11:59 p.m., Wednesday, May 21. The Virginia resident recalled how the two became fan favorites over the course of the show, with many describing the former couple as “R&B love” relationship goals.
“Before everything went viral, everybody was like ‘R&B love, Tyler and Ashley. Finally we got one.’”
She added, “Y’all felt what I felt through that wall. It was real for me and I think that he loved me to some capacity.”
Given the onslaught of negative backlash she received amid Francis’ lies, Adionser urged social media warriors to be more “mindful” in their interactions with notable figures.
“I was navigating an impossible situation the best way I knew how. I was always gonna leave when I found out what I needed to find out for myself… If I found out what I need to find out for myself,” she said.
In terms of love, while Adionser’s DMs are open, she said she’s not looking, though she isn’t letting this experience deter her from finding love.
“I was in my soft girl era,” she admitted. “But I want to keep her just because I gave my love to the wrong person, doesn’t mean that my love is not top tier.”
