Love Is Blind Fans Are Debating When Jess Should've Disclosed She Has A Kid

Love is Blind is back with six brand new, dramatic episodes that cover new territory for the dating show. For example, dating as a single parent. Season 6 features Love is Blind’s first-ever single mom, 29-year-old Jessica “Jess” Vestal, who has sparked a rather heated debate amongst fans about when is the right time to tell someone you’re dating that you have a child.

Note: Spoilers for the first six episodes of Love is Blind Season 6 are ahead.

In the Season 6 premiere, Jess admits to hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey that she was “super nervous” about how the guys in the pods would react to her having a 10-year-old daughter named Autumn. “I’m super nervous about how some of the guys are going to receive the fact that I have a child,” she said. “I just love her so much.”

Jess said she didn’t plan to tell the guys about Autumn right away because she wanted them to get to know her first. “I want to give people the chance to get to know me individually first because even though I’m a mother and it’s the most important thing to me, it doesn’t define me,” she said. “I feel like I’ll just know when the time is right to tell somebody.”

Enter Jimmy. Jessica formed a deep connection with the 28-year-old software salesman in the pods. After several dates, she decided to tell him she has a daughter, later calling them a “package deal.” She tells Jimmy that her daughter is the “most important part of my life” and there are “certain conversations we can’t have without you knowing that first.”

Jimmy was visibly taken aback by this news and asked, “How come we didn’t talk about that earlier?”

“It’s not something I’m just gonna, like, lead with because I want people to get to know me as an individual first and establish a relationship with me. Even though I’m so proud of it, it’s my greatest accomplishment, I want to talk about it,” Jess said as the camera pans to Jimmy in his pod, sighing deeply and wiping his face.

Jimmy said he understood why she waited to tell him and agreed that he wouldn’t want her to “throw” that information at him right away. “That’s not a dealbreaker for me ... I like you a lot, I’d like to hear more about it.”

While many Love is Blind fans agreed with Jess’ approach, many did not, with some even calling her “deceitful.”

“You disclose that IMMEDIATELY and give someone an option to move forward or not. You NEVER hide your kid/kids,” one fan commented on TikTok, while another said, “It’s deceitful. That’s something I want to know on the first meeting.”

“That’s a huge red flag on her!!” one more commented. “That something that should be said early on not when the guy has feelings for you and gets attached.” Another quipped, “she didn’t think it was important enough to mention beforehand….?”

Others, especially fellow single parents, completely sided with how Jess handled sharing this important information. “She did it exactly how she should have,” one fan commented on TikTok. Another said, “I agree with her… if there’s no interest why bring that up? When she saw potential she shared. It’s also a very precious thing.”

“As a single mom, I understand 1000%,” one mom commented. “Definitely not a red flag. He’s able to not move forward if it is a deal breaker.”

One single parent commented that they “never ever disclose on the first date, adding, “You could be a massive red flag. You are not immediately entitled to know about my children.”

“Those thinking she should've disclosed that immediately clearly don't have or have never raised a kid...making sure the person is a safe person first,” yet another wrote.

Deciding when to tell a potential romantic partner about the most important part of your life is undoubtedly a big deal. Like Jess, how do you tell a man without kids about yours? It’s tricky and every parent has to do what feels best for their family.

As for Jess and Jimmy, their relationship did not end with a proposal. “I know that you’re already an incredible mother,” Jimmy told Jess in the pods as he’s ending things. “You’re going to be an amazing wife for someone else. At this point, I love someone else.” Jimmy ultimately proposed to Chelsea, while Jess told People she “said [her] piece” with their relationship. “I was heartbroken, but I also had a sense of peace,” she told the magazine. “I knew that it wasn’t meant to be. I think he and I came to that understanding at probably the same time that we weren’t meant for each other.”

But this isn’t the last we hear from Jess. The next six episodes of Love is Blind Season 6 drop on Netflix on Feb. 21.