‘Love Is Blind’ Creator RESPONDS to Fan Outrage Over Lack of Diversity – Stands by Casting Choices!
Chris Coelen is once again stepping in to defend Love Is Blind, but this time, the criticism isn’t about controversial contestants—it’s about the glaring lack of diversity in Season 8.
The hit Netflix dating experiment, which has faced backlash in the past for casting participants with troubling histories, is now under fire for featuring its whitest cast yet. According to Us Weekly, around 30% of this season’s cast members were people of color, a significant drop from past seasons, where nearly half of the participants came from diverse backgrounds.
In response to the criticism, Chris insists that the show’s casting process isn’t about checking boxes.
“If you’re sort of trying to tick a box, there were lots of people who were in the group coming into the pods who ultimately just didn’t find their person and who we didn’t choose to [follow],” Chris explained. In other words, he’s suggesting that the cast’s racial makeup wasn’t intentional, just the result of how things played out during filming.
He also defended how the show prioritizes compelling storylines, stating, “There are 32 stories times however many people each person dates. So if each person starts off dating 16 people, do the math, that’s, I don’t know, close to 1,000 stories? Something like that. And you can only tell so many of them.”
According to Chris, their main goal is simply to create potential romantic matches—background and representation take a backseat to compatibility. You’re less concerned about that, to be honest, than just trying to have a group of people that you hope are somewhat compatible and then seeing what happens,” he explained.
Fans, however, aren’t buying Chris Coelen’s explanation. Many have pointed out that previous seasons managed to showcase a diverse cast without it feeling forced.
One viewer tweeted, “They had no problem casting diverse couples in past seasons, so why is it suddenly impossible now? Just say you wanted an all-white love story and go.”
Others have complained that the show isn’t just lacking diversity—it’s lacking entertainment. “This is hands down the most boring season. No one is interesting, no one has chemistry, and it feels like producers just picked the most basic people possible,” one fan wrote.
Another added, “Season 8 is giving nothing. The cast is dry, the storylines are weak, and at this point, I’m only watching out of habit.”
With mounting criticism, it remains to be seen whether Love Is Blind will make changes to its casting approach in future seasons.
Love Is Blind Season 8 is now streaming on Netflix.
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Olivia Davis is a Staff Writer at All About The Tea. Olivia’s hobbies include binging Netflix series, and watching Housewives on Bravo. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in History.