Does Tyler Francis from ‘Love Is Blind’ have kids? Paternity scandal, explained

“Love Is Blind” viewers are waiting to find out which couples from “Love Is Blind” Season 7 are headed for a breakup in the finale, but it appears the most compelling storyline from the season is playing out off camera.

Throughout Season 7, Ashley Adionser, a 32-year-old marketing director, and Tyler Francis, a 34-year-old account manager, have seemed destined to say “I do” at the altar. But drama involving his actions before the show has soured what initially seemed to be one of the more sincere connections of the season.

In Episode 9, Adionser learned that Francis had fathered three children — information he did not share before proposing. The episode ended with the couple having an emotional conversation as Adinoser contemplated how she could move forward in their relationship.

The cliffhanger was resolved in Episode 10, which arrived on Netflix Oct. 16, after Adinoser asked Francis more questions about the situation.

“I had a very close friend, her and her wife wanted to have a baby,” Francis explained. “And they couldn’t afford a sperm donor. I thought that was God telling me, you know, ‘Help someone else.’ And it felt good.”

Adinoser asked if the kids know what Francis looks like.

“Hmm, I don’t think so,” he replied.

Adinoser decided the two should continue the experiment and see if they could move past the situation. Fans will find out if they get married in the season finale on Oct. 23.

But ahead of the finale and the reunion — which will arrive Oct. 30 and possibly see Francis speak about being a “sperm donor” — the mother of Francis’ three children is denying the account manager’s take.

In a series of five videos uploaded to Instagram Oct. 20, Bri Thomas, the mother of Francis’ children, shared her side of the story.

“I do not like all of my business out in the world for everyone to see and know,” she said.

“But that is just the situation that we’re in right now. Out of my control. But I feel like it’s important in order for me to move on from this and clear everything up that I state the truth.”

Thomas said she had a close friendship with Francis who offered to help her and her ex-wife conceive. She claimed that after she split from her ex, Francis suggested he help raise the baby boy. She also said that the two additional children, who are twins, were conceived via “natural, unplanned intercourse with absolutely no complexities surrounding parentage.”

According to Thomas, she never “dated” Francis, but said they were raising and “co-parenting” the three children together before he left to film “Love Is Blind.” She added that she is currently involved in legal proceedings with Francis regarding custody.

In the caption for the first video, Thomas wrote, “Trying this again because honestly I have nothing more to say.”

A Baltimore city court case docket seen by TODAY.com shows that in January 2024 a custody case involving Thomas and the “Love Is Blind” contestant, first filed in 2021, reopened with a petition for contempt.

TODAY.com reached out for a comment from Francis and Thomas.

Read on to learn what else Francis told Adinoser about his three children, below.

Adinoser and Francis created a powerful bond in the pods and continued to progress after meeting in real life.

During their trip to Mexico with the other couples, they both expressed how confident they were in their connection and repeated their plans to get married at the end of the experiment.

But the happy couple’s picturesque life came crashing down in Episode 9.

While the episode, out Oct. 9, opened with a lighthearted conversation between Adinoser and Francis about how many children they wanted to have and potential baby names, it ended with a shocking revelation.

When viewers caught up with the couple, they were having a serious conversation. Adinoser explained that she recently learned information about Francis’ past and had removed herself from their joint apartment to gather her thoughts.

“I just don’t understand how our superpower seems like it’s not our superpower anymore,” she told him.

She said they communicated well since they met, so she couldn’t fathom why he decided to “drop this kind of bomb” on her less than two weeks before their wedding.

Still not revealing the secret, she added, “We’re talking about joining a union, like merging lives. This is something I should have known before agreeing to say ‘yes.’”

Francis said he was worried about losing her trust.

Finally, Adinoser directly addressed the issue they were skirting around: Francis said he fathered three children as a sperm donor.

“I just can’t wrap my mind around it without even considering your past at all, like we talked about kids every day. It’s not your kid, kids. But they are your kids, and it’s with someone that you know,” she revealed.

Francis confirmed that he is the father of two girls and a boy. He did not provide more details about the situation or his relationship with their mother.

Adinoser said that Francis had not shown her any documents that proved he was uninvolved in the children’s lives and only acted as a sperm donor.

“I’m not upset by you trying to help a couple have kids,” she clarified. “I think that’s admirable in certain ways. But the issue comes in with me feeling like I was not getting the full picture of you, and once you’re not given the full picture of something, it’s hard to not question everything. Me being a single woman before this, to come in this scenario, to fall in love with a guy who has three sperm donor babies, is a lot to absorb and the wedding is in, like, two weeks.”

After listening to her express her feelings, Francis said he understood her reservations.

“I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m just asking for a chance. I would love to marry you,” he replied.

Francis added that he still wanted to build a life with Adinoser and have a family with her.

“I’ll fight until you tell me to stop fighting,” he said.

At the end of their conversation, they shared a tearful embrace and said they loved each other.

In an Instagram comment posted in October 2023, before Thomas made her videos, Francis responded to someone referencing photos of him with his children.

“That is not facts. Just be patient, I’ll explain it all very soon,” he said.