Love Is Blind fans divided by Vanessa Lachey’s response to lack of body diversity on the Netflix show

Vanessa Lachey has divided opinion across social media after addressing the lack of body diversity on Netflix’s Love Is Blind.

The 41-year-old, who lives in Los Angeles, has claimed contestants don’t make it past the pods stage of the experiment because they feel “insecure”.

The Netflix host addressed the lack of diversity, while adding that diverse bodies are given a “fair shot” during casting.

Speaking to Insider about those who may not meet conventional beauty standards, Vanessa said: “Their whole life they’ve been so insecure about being themselves because of this crazy swipe generation that we are in and this catfishing world that we’re in, that they’re so afraid to be themselves.”

She added that they may also not have enough time to make the connections needed to progress on the series.

The show sees male and female contestants enter pods to find love without ever seeing each other.

Vanessa addressed the lack of LGBTQ+ representation in the show, explaining the logistical difficulties of “blindly” separating same sex contestants.

Many fans of the show have taken to Twitter blasting Vanessa’s explaination for the lack of body diversity, while others claim her comments make sense.

One person wrote: “This interview is a hot mess. She’s asked why her show doesn’t have plus-sized people and her reasoning is they’re all insecure and busy catfishing. I need Vanessa Lachey to stop talking.”

Another said: “Vanessa Lachey's comments actually make perfect sense to me. It's because of cast mates like Abhishek 'Shake' Chatterjee. Men and women with "diverse" body types are insecure because they could wind up with someone insanely cruel -- like Shake.”

A third added: “Oh really @VanessaLachey - if we don't have an "acceptable" body type then we're insecure?? Are you sure about that sweetie?! There's a lot of beautiful men and women who are in larger bodies who are more confident than some of the thin ppl I know, including celebrities #dobetter”

Who is Vanessa Lachey?

Vanessa Lachey is an American actress, fashion model and television host.

Lachey is one of the main faces in the new NCIS spin off NCIS: Hawaii that premiered in September 2021 and has just been picked up for season 2.

In 1998 was crowned Miss South Carolina Teen USA and then went on to win Miss Teen USA.

• Vanessa Lachey was born on 9 November 1980 - making her 41 years old
• Lachey married her husband Nick Lachey in 2011 after five years of dating
• Vanessa and Nick Lachey have three children together
• The couple have a combined net worth of $25 million 
• Vanessa has just moved her family from LA to Hawaii to be closer during the filming of her show. They sold their LA property to Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka

What is Love is Blind?

Love is Blind is a dating reality television show where couples first meet via pods where they cannot see each other.

In the hit Netflix show, couples must form relationships blindly, “meeting” all contestants of the other gender before deciding who to get engaged to.

The social experiment aims to form “genuine connections” surrounding people’s personality, rather than the physical attributes of a person.

Once a couple gets engaged they then meet and go on holiday together and then once back from their romantic trip, move in together before finally marrying two weeks later.

The show is hosted by couple Nick and Vanessa Lachey, with Vanessa comparing the experiment to their own love story.

Connections

Yasmine Al-Bustami

Yasmine Al-Bustami is an American actress who stars alongside Vannessa Lachey in NCIS: Hawaii.

Al-Bustami has also starred in The Originals, The Chosen and Lucky.

Alex Tarrant

Alex Tarrant is a New Zealand actor who plays Kai Holman in NCIS: Hawaii alongside Vanessa Lachey.

Tarrant is currently filming The Lord of the Rings television series and has also starred in Night Raiders and Filthy Rich.

Tori Anderson

Tori Anderson is a Canadian TV actress who stars in NCIS: Hawaii.

She has been involved in multiple Nickelodeon productions including Open Heart and The Other Kingdom.

Personal Life

Vanessa Lachey has been married to her husband Nick Lachey since 2011 after dating since 2006.

The couple have three children together, Phoenix Robert, Brooklyn Elisabeth and Camden John.

Vanessa Lachey has previously been linked with American actor Topher Grace in 2009, after the pair were caught kissing.

She has also dated English actor Orlando Bloom in 2005 and American baseball player Derek Jeter between 2003-2006.