Jessica Barrett is ready to talk politics. Actually, she’s always been ready. The 39-year-old physician mentioned her “strong political views” briefly on Season 10 of Love Is Blind, but for the most part, the dating series portrayed her disconnect with former fiancé Chris Fusco as merely a lack of physical attraction. But in reality, their breakup was more than skin deep.
Jess, a proudly progressive Democrat, tells Elite Daily that she made a point to ask all the men in the pods whether or not they supported Donald Trump. She believes Chris responded strategically. “Chris was very careful about how he worded everything,” Jess says. “I asked everyone, ‘Did you vote for Trump? Do you support Trump?’ And his answer was ‘No.’”
When asked if she still believes Chris’ answer, Jess says she doesn’t. Since the show began airing, viewers have noticed that Chris follows several right-wing Instagram accounts. “He didn’t have Instagram while we were together, so I couldn’t have looked to see who he follows,” Jess says. “All I had to go on was his word. People can say whatever they want when you ask them in the pods, but you don’t necessarily know what their day-to-day looks like or what they actually believe. You’ve really got to give them the benefit of the doubt.”
Jess started to realize Chris may not have been honest about his political views in that tense convo that led to their breakup. On the show, it’s framed as Chris’ major issue with Jess being her appearance. “It was a lot of other things before he went into the whole physical attraction stuff,” Jess says. “There was a part of that conversation where he says, ‘Well, you’re just so liberal.’ And I’m like, ‘What are you talking about? We’ve talked about this endlessly. Why are you surprised I’m liberal?’”
Some of her former fiancé’s calculated tactics have become a lot more apparent since filming. A particularly illuminating moment came when Jess saw how Chris’ demeanor seemed to change when he was talking to Bri at the mixer.
“Now, it’s very clear,” Jess says. “One of the things that you can see watching back is the way that he speaks to Bri and the way that he speaks to me are very different. He’s done time in sales; he knows how to cater to his audience. That’s what I’ll say.”
Below, Jess talks about the red flag she wished she had noticed in the pods and how she really feels about Bri, Ashley, and Priyanka hearing out Chris’ side of the breakup at the mixer.
Elite Daily: From what we saw of the pods, you were really only talking to Chris. Were there any other men that you were strongly considering?
Jess Barrett: I had a very, very significant connection other than Chris that y’all didn’t see, and that went on for quite some time. I don’t really want to get into what happened with it, but that didn’t work out.
ED: When you all met up in Cabo, did you have any concerns about Chris’ feelings for Bri?
JB: Chris seemed very focused on me, and Bri and I had gotten along well, so I didn’t think that either of them would be pursuing anything like that. I wasn’t aware of anything before that 180 flip back in Ohio.
ED: You’ve mentioned before that Chris may have been intimidated by seeing your house. How much do you feel your professional success influenced the breakup?
JB: I don’t necessarily think Chris was even really thinking clearly in that moment. The conversation you saw on the couch before the breakup was streamlined very well for TV. It very much felt like grasping at straws. It was hard for me to follow his thought process.
I didn’t even clock that things got weird once he saw my house. It wasn’t until the next day, when he was not responding to me, that I was like, “This is weird. I don’t know what’s going on.” I talked to the girls, and they were like, “Duh, Jessica. We just did this thing seeing the house, and then all of a sudden he freaked out.” I was like, “Oh, sh*t, maybe you’re right.”
ED: How did it feel to watch the breakup on TV a year after it happened?
JB: It felt so good. It was like watching your little sister tell somebody to f*ck off. I was like, “I’m so proud of her.”
ED: How did you feel about Bri, Ashley, and Priyanka hearing out Chris’ side of the breakup at the mixer?
JB: That was a little hard because they all knew what he had said to me. It’s not the way that I would’ve handled it. I know we all have different personalities, and that’s fine, and we’ve since had conversations where all three of them have said “We wish we showed up for you better.” And that means a lot to me. I also have a hard time being pissed at them, because this pressure cooker is so crazy. It’s hard enough to take care of yourself, let alone other people.
ED: Looking back on everything now, were there any early red flags with Chris that you can see more clearly as you’re watching it back?
JB: A mistake I’ve made in the past, that I think a lot of women make, is creating the magic. Then, somebody who doesn’t bring much to the table can just echo that back to you. They can repeat what you said or say what they think you want to hear. I don’t think I did a good enough job of asking myself, “What is this partner bringing to this space?”
ED: Was there anything that wasn’t shown that you wish had made it to the final edit?
JB: All the political conversations. One of the hardest moments for me throughout this was people questioning, “Oh, did she know about Chris’ views and just not care?” This is the thing that matters most to me, and to think that people might think I’m flippant about it was a gut punch. You can make fun of my dress, you can make fun of anything, but don’t question where I stand about human beings.
I’m not letting some tiny man take that away from me. He’s not going to take away my capacity to love.
ED: Has your experience with Chris changed what you’re looking for in a relationship?
JB: I don’t think it did. I already knew what I wanted. I have had enough experiences with guys portraying themselves incorrectly, or lying, or not showing up the way they say they’re going to. So, while this was shocking, it was kind of like “OK, well, this is what this dude did.” One of the things that I’m most proud of is that I am very open to love. I have a huge heart, I love my people so hard, and I’m not letting some tiny man take that away from me. He’s not going to take away my capacity to love.
ED: What has dating been like for you since filming?
JB: Interesting. I’ve never been a big dater. I did date a little bit after the show, and had another super weird experience. But it’s all just part of the path. There’s some wild sh*t on the way.
ED: What’s the main lesson that you’ve learned from doing this whole experience?
JB: It’s just a paraphrase of RuPaul, but you really, really have to love yourself before you can love somebody else appropriately.
ED: Amen.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
