Love Is Blind contestants Iyanna and Jarrette Jones shocked everyone when they announced on Instagram that they were officially calling off their marriage just one year after tying the knot.
The two met for the first time on season two of the Netflix reality dating show when Jarrette popped the question. While foreign to many, the concept is part of the show’s format. 15 men and 15 women get to know each other in isolated “pods” where they can only talk to the other person and meet face-to-face only after a proposal is made.
Iyanna and Jarrette experienced their fair share of ups and downs, but in the show’s season finale chose to spend the rest of their lives with each other.
However, in a recent Instagram post, Iyanna and Jarrette informed their followers that they would “begin the process of divorcing.” The reason being that their lives were “going in different directions.”
The pair asked for space as they “close this chapter in our lives,” and assured their followers that neither of them “regret a single thing.” Let’s take a look back on their journey.
Iyanna and Jarrette’s relationship timeline
Things weren’t 20/20 for Iyanna and Jarrette right out of the gate. Well, at least not for Jarrette.
The pair met for the first time in 2021 when the taping for the show began. While Iyanna felt an immediate connection to Jarrette in the “pods”, she expressed concern that she wasn’t the only woman sitting at the top of his list. And she was right.
In addition to Iyanna, Jarrette shared a connection with fellow contestant and Chicago native Mallory Zapata. Eventually, he decided that Iyanna was the one for him and popped her the question. The pair tied the knot during the show’s finale, which was filmed in the summer of 2021.
After the finale aired in February 2022, Iyanna and Jarrette told People magazine they wanted to travel before tending to the marriage timeline they’d created for themselves.
“The first thing on our agenda is to travel because we had talked about that in the pod so much, about how we just wanted to travel the world before we settle down again, having children,” Jones said. “Just so we can be out as a married couple with no strings attached, no bars and just be ourselves and enjoy our time together.”
Looking back on that conversation, early signs of friction can be found. A difference of opinions between the pair was expressed when Iyanna shared that she couldn’t stand living in Chicago with Jarrette because it was “too cold here. I can’t do this now. I can’t do it,” she said.
Additionally, there was the issue of Iyanna going back to school. “Once she completes school or she’s close to completing school, then we’ll have kids,” Jarrette said. “Two years.”
Iyanna and Jarrette have not shared what led to their divorce beyond the “different directions” their lives are taking them. Going back to school, careers, kids, and things of the like are all tough obstacles for any couple to overcome so any one of them could have been the deciding factor.
Divorce is complicated, complex, and involves a lot of conversation, so we wish Iyanna and Jarrette all the best going forward and look forward to celebrating their future successes.