While we at SheKnows (and a huge number of people around the world) yearn for the day when asking others about their reproductive plans will be universally regarded as rude, invasive, and insensitive, today is unfortunately not the day thanks to Vanessa Lachey‘s relentless baby-related questions during the season 4 Love Is Blind reunion.
Eventually airing on April 16 after a slew of technical issues that caused delays in what was meant to be a live broadcast — the whole situation was a mess from the jump — Lachey, as co-host, took it upon herself to grill the season’s three married couples about their baby-making plans, and the world is still reeling from her weirdly obsessive and uncomfortable questioning.
The inquiry wasn’t even presented as “if” any of the couples planned to have kids, not that that would have made the question much better. Lachey pressed each of the pairs for “when” they were having kids, and press them like paninis she sure did.
Asking For a “Baby Timeline”
Sitting down with married contestants Chelsea and Kwame Appiah, Tiffany and Brett Brown, and Bliss and Zack Goytowski, Lachey said with no tact in sight, “I need to know, who’s going to give me our first Love Is Blind baby?”
She obtusely continued, “I don’t want to ask if you’re trying because that’s TMI. Obviously, you all are intimate.” It’s laughable that she suggests entering a TMI zone without even realizing that she crossed the line as soon as she inquired about the “first LIB baby.” Like, come on.
Lachey persisted, zeroing in on the unlucky first couple to be interrogated. “We’ll start with Brett and Tiffany. What are you all thinking on the baby timeline?” Yep — straight to the baby timeline, like the outdated idea of cranking out a baby nine months after the wedding is the most important goal of a marriage.
And let us remind you — these couples got engaged just days after meeting and bonding with a wall between them, as the show’s concept requires. It’s fair to say that the timeline to “I do” was hasty enough that the duos all deserve some time to simply grow accustomed to and enjoy being with one another without bringing a tiny, wholly dependent human into the mix — now or possibly ever, depending on their own private desires to have or not have children. Because, you know, it’s a private decision that doesn’t ever warrant questioning from anyone outside of the relationship.
Persisting Even After Couples Express Discomfort
Tiffany politely skirted around Lachey’s question, telling her that she and Brett are enjoying traveling and just being with one another. Brett, however, had a more brazen response — and it was totally warranted.
“I was just about to make a joke, like Jesus, ya’ll really put the baby pressure… My god,” he said in disbelief. Lachey, either not picking up on their discomfort or not caring, pressed on. “But how cute are baby Air Force 1s going to be?” she asked Brett, who’s a design director at Nike. He gracefully answered, “When Baby Brown gets here, they’ll be fly.”
Under Lachey’s insistent stare, Chelsea expressed a stance similar to Tiffany’s. She answered that while she’s aware her “biological clock” is ticking, she’s chosen to “step back,” enjoy married life, and let whatever will happen, happen.
Inappropriately Erupting With Excitement
When Bliss and Zack’s turn came around, Lachey practically burst with joy when Bliss shared that she “can’t wait” to have kids with Zack — which Lachey falsely took as a pregnancy announcement. You truly can’t make this up!
Since the reunion aired, Twitter has been having a field day with Lachey’s strange and inappropriate enthusiasm over the contestants’ fertility plans. In addition to women being more than just vessels for children to sprout from, you can’t just assume a person is able to have children.
Lachey’s line of questioning doesn’t take into consideration that it’s insensitive to put people on the spot about having children when it’s such a delicate topic for those who have experienced miscarriages and/or cannot conceive at all.
One Twitter user expressed this sentiment, writing, “The push on babies on the Love is Blind reunion was kind of cringe. They have no idea if some of them struggle with fertility, if some had already dealt with a miscarriage they aren’t ready to talk about, etc.”
Another person similarly tweeted, “Besides the delay, the worst part of the Love Is Blind reunion was Vanessa Lachey pressuring all of the couples to have babies. Everyone knows to be delicate around motherhood & fertility issues except Vanessa Lachey on ‘LIVE’ national TV apparently.”
And one user really brought the point home, tweeting,
“No one:
No one at all:
Not one single person:
Vanessa Lachey on the #LoveIsBlind reunion: “WHEN ARE YOU HAVING A BABY????????”Let the public dragging of Lachey be your reminder that asking people about their plans to have children, regardless of how well-meaning you believe your question is, is not okay. If someone wants to share their fertility plans and conception status with you, they will undoubtedly do so in their own time. Until then, give the interrogation about babies a much-needed rest.
Leave a Comment