The mother of Love Is Blind star Tyler Francis’ three children is setting the record straight about their co-parenting relationship after his recent comments on the show. Not only that but the woman he popped the question to is breaking her silence and defending him from social media detractors.
“Do you know him personally to spread such slander about my cast mate?” wrote the woman many #LIB watchers believe is being bamboozled.
Source: Adam Rose / Netflix
In Episode 9 of Season 7 of the hit series (which aired Oct. 9) Francis told his fiancée, Ashley Adionser, that he was simply a “sperm donor” to his three children and had never met them, a detail he had chosen to keep private during their time in the pods.
However, on Oct. 20, Bri Thomas, the mother of Francis’ children, took to Instagram to clarify his claims. She claimed that the 34-year-old accounting manager was actively involved in co-parenting their three adorable kiddos, Kyreaux, Kali, and Kamari. In a five-part video series, Thomas explained her relationship with Francis, noting that while they were never romantically involved, they have always been “best friends” throughout their co-parenting journey.
Kyreux, their firstborn, was apparently conceived intentionally to assist Thomas and her ex-wife at the time.
“In regards to our oldest child, Kyreaux, Tyler was initially only supposed to be helping me and my ex-wife. He was helping us conceive,” Thomas clarified. “It was understood that Tyler was not supposed to assume a father role in Kyreaux’s life.”
Thomas, 34, expressed her gratitude to Tyler for standing by her side during a challenging period when her ex-wife petitioned for full custody of Kyreaux shortly after their split. Throughout this tough time, Francis provided crucial support and allegedly offered to step up and take care of Kyreaux.
“Tyler, as my best friend, was there for me, helping me through this extremely, extremely tough time in my life. And for that, I’ll always be thankful for him,” the mom and former basketball player shared.
“One day, I received a text from Tyler and he asked me if I would be OK with him being a father to Kyreaux because he did not want Kyreaux to be raised by a single mother, as he had. We had a deep discussion about what that would mean for him to be stepping up as a father to Kyreaux and what it would look like as far as financial responsibility, helping out, being an active parent in his life, being present,”
Thomas ultimately agreed to allow Francis to co-parent Kyreaux, a decision that would continue after the pair gave birth to two more children.
Tyler’s Twin Daughters Were Reportedly An Unplanned Pregnancy
Regarding their 5-year-old twin daughters, Kali and Kamari, Thomas shared that they were conceived naturally from an unplanned pregnancy shortly before their firstborn turned one.
“They were conceived before Kyreaux turned 1, and I admit, fully admit I have not always been the most comfortable with that truth due to the fact that I’ve lived the majority of my life as a lesbian.”
Thomas stated that Francis was fully supportive during her pregnancy and the births of their twins, even living together at the time. She mentioned that he was present throughout her pregnancy, in the delivery room, and during her hospital stay after the births. He allegedly signed the birth certificate and cut the umbilical cord of their twin babies, while his mother and sister also visited them in the hospital.
She also alleged that Tyler was at her house the day before he entered the pods on Love Is Blind, spending time with the children. This made it even more perplexing why he would choose to “disown” them on national television.
“I can’t wrap my head around why he felt the best way to do that would be to cut off the kids. Then, to make matters worse, lie on national television and say they’re merely sperm babies and they don’t know what he looks like,” she added, noting that her goal was not to criticize Tyler but to protect her children from a narrative that needed to end.
“Tyler and I have never officially been together, never truly dated but we had these kids and we were raising these kids together, we were co-parenting these kids together, and we were legit, or, I felt like we were best friends,” she added. “I truly hate that I had to provide an explanation in hopes of defending myself and my children. I just could not continue to sit back and allow what was being said about me and the kids to continue on.”
In a surprise twist, Tyler’s Love Is Blind fiancée Ashley entered the chat by responding to an Instagram comment from a fan.
Hit the flip to see what she said.
Ashley Clapped Back At A Fan Speaking On Tyler’s Paternity
Ashley recently responded to a fan on Instagram who had commented on her page:
Source: Courtesy / Netflix
“I hope you never need egg donation. It’s not cool to make someone feel bad about it, it’s just genetic material, not paternity.”
Collider reports that Ashley clarified her stance, replying:
“Did you hear the part where I said, ‘I’m not mad at him for helping a couple start a family. In fact, I find it admirable!’ I would NEVER demean anything related to a woman’s fertility.” She continued, “I’d love to discuss this further, but for now, I’ll say it’s more complicated when donations are made to friends or family.”
Ashley also replied to another comment that read:
“I hope you don’t disappoint me because that man is FOUL! A whole daddy! And broke on top of that, owing multiple women money!”
Ashley defended Tyler, responding,
“Do you know him personally to spread such slander about my cast mate? Whatever decision I make, I’ll do what’s best for me, just as I assume you live your life. Food for thought: be cautious of social media and the alleged, unauthenticated ‘proof’ you’re referencing. I pray you’ll lead with kindness moving forward.”
While Tyler has yet to respond to the mother of his children, he did recently make comments about his “sperm donor” reveal.
Hit the flip for that.
Tyler Said He Has No Regrets About Waiting To Tell Ashley About His Children
Tyler shared during a recent interview with E! News that he had no regrets about telling Ashley the truth about his children.
Source: Courtesy / Netflix
In fact, he wouldn’t “change anything” about his time in the pods.
“There’s maybe a couple conversations that could’ve been had at a certain time, who knows?” he explained. “I can’t sit back and wish that I could change something.”
Tyler didn’t just avoid discussing his three kids in the pods; he also expressed relief about keeping his appearance a secret until after he proposed to Ashley due to the stereotypes he faces as a light-skinned man.
“I tried to keep away from it, because that was the big issue,” he added during his chat with E! News. “I’ve been judged based off being light-skinned. Being cheaters and liars—all these things that you get with being light-skinned. So, I tried to keep away from physical appearance and just judge me for who I am, not what I look like.”
Tyler Said He’s Going To “Explain It All” Soon
It seems Tyler may soon provide more clarity on his co-parenting situation. In an Instagram post shared on Oct. 14, the father of three urged curious fans to “be patient” regarding the co-parenting drama, promising that he would “explain it all very soon.” However, some critics quickly called him out for mentioning that he wasn’t sure if his children knew what he looked like.
One naysayer commented:
“People can say a lot of stuff but ultimately saying that you don’t think the children know what you look like was a choice and I’m very interested in that explanation.”
Tyler clapped back writing that he did not “owe anyone” an “explanation,” before the Love Is Blind star added:
“The conversation was longer than what was shown and a lot of off-camera conversations were had.”
Yikes!
Who’s telling the truth here?