Love Is Blind's Monica Details How She Found Stephen's "Really Kinky" Texts to Another Woman

Warning: This article contains spoilers from episodes seven through nine of Love Is Blind season seven.

Monica Davis isn't blind in her romance with Stephen Richardson anymore.

After the couple's engagement in season seven of Love is Blind came to a bitter end when Monica uncovered sext messages between her fiancé and another woman, she gave more insight into the bombshell moment. And it all began when costars Taylor Krause and Garrett Josemans were planning to make everyone cookies.

"Stephen and I were hanging out in the apartment having a great time laughing," she explained on the Oct. 10 episode of The Viall Files. "He stepped into the bathroom and as he did, his phone went off and he got a text we were waiting for. It was from Garrett. I said, 'Oh babe, Garrett just texted. I'm going to respond. It's about the cookies.'"

However, she said his texts also included messages from an unknown woman.

"This was something I was not expecting from this person at all," she continued. "Some people might think that that's crazy, but there was a second there that I literally remember thinking, 'Should I click on this? No, don't be crazy.'"

Unfortunately, Monica discovered Stephen had conversations involving "really kinky, dirty talk."

"One specific message was just talking about how he's never been able to find someone who satisfies his kinks the way she does," she recalled. "I'm not kink-shaming. I've been accused of kink-shaming already. I just didn't know that this was the person I was sharing a bed with by any means."

And in the moment, she noted that she was taken aback by the messages, especially since she confided in Stephen about her past experiences with infidelity.

"I don't even know if I've had a relationship where I haven't been cheated on," the 37-year-old admitted. "That was something that I really opened up to Stephen about often, and he made me feel so safe. I never in a million years would've thought that he would have done what he did. It was such a big part of our relationship was just talking through my trauma."

E! News has reached out to Stephen for comment and has not yet heard back.

At the end of episode eight, Monica confronted Stephen, who said he was at a sleep test the night before, after she found the texts. She added, "Reading those text messages filled with fetishes, it's disgusting, Stephen."

Although he maintained that he was at his sleep test, he agreed with Monica's opinion of the texts.

"I'm almost embarrassed about how much of my heart I've given you," she told him. "You were going to, what, shake my dad's hand this weekend while you were planning on cheating? I don't understand. You were lying in a sleep test bed texting a girl while you are engaged that you want to do dirty, kinky things."

As for Stephen's response in the moment? "You're right. I can't do anything to change this. I will live with this. I truly am sorry for hurting you, for wasting your time, for coming on the show and doing this to you. I shouldn't have come on the show."

After the episode aired, Stephen did share a message with fans on social media.

"I hope I didn't ruin anyone's day by existing," he wrote on Instagram Stories Oct. 8, "and if I did, I'm sorry you had to wake up this morning. I wish you didn't have to either. But I'll love you all the same." 

While it seems Monica and Stephen won't make it down the aisle, keep reading to see how other Love is Blind couples are doing.

After one or two (or a few) fights throughout the season, Chelsea and Jimmy appeared to finally put their disagreements behind them during an amusement park date set right before their wedding.

However, Jimmy made it clear that he was ready for their rollercoaster ride to end, breaking off his engagement to a teary-eyed Chelsea—who was stunned at his decision.

"I love you to death and I want a relationship with you,” Jimmy told Chelsea on their date, “and it want it work so bad—but I don’t want to go to the altar. I can’t.”

As he explained, “We’re condensing it down to one argument, but it’s been like five or six really big issues that really hit home and hurt my feelings.” (One being that Chelsea revealed Jimmy’s secret about his past relationship with his female friend.)

And after yet another back-and-forth between the two over their respective ties with exes, Chelsea left for good in tears: “I was so hopeful for us.”

The pair were both single during the March 2024 reunion.

While Clay expressed his hesitation to getting married due to his own outlook on his father’s infidelity, AD reassured him that they would prevail as a couple and all seemed to be well between the two. 

But once faced with the task of saying I do to forever at the altar, Clay said I don’t instead, telling AD that it wouldn’t be “responsible” of him to get married knowing he wasn’t ready.

Cue the shock.

“I’m going to put the work in for you,” he told AD, “and we’ll go through this together. I don’t care what nobody says; I know fully I’m not ready for marriage and you deserve the best. And if I’m not ready to give you 100 percent, I won’t go there with you when I’m not ready…I can’t say yes right now.”

It was a revelation that made AD declare through tears that the relationship was a waste of her “f--king time.”

As for Clay, he also revealed that financial—and emotional—ties played a big part in him walking away. “I looked at myself in the mirror and said, ‘Am I a husband?’” he admitted, “and the answer was no. Am I deeply in love? The answer was no.’”

During the reunion, Clay expressed that he made a mistake and wanted to date AD, but she played coy on if she'd ever consider getting back together.

AD confessed that she did go on a couple dates with costar Matthew Duliba after filming wrapped, but they are not together.

The only season six couple who did say yes to forever? Amy and Johnny, who not only celebrated their new beginning with a gorgeous ceremony, but also seamlessly merged their families into one, with Amy’s dad sweetly telling Johnny’s sister that he feels like he has “multiple daughters” now.

As for Johnny, he too declared at his reception that his father-in-law was his “new dad.”

They were still married during the reunion episode.

Though their romance started off strong, Brittany and Kenneth’s relationship fizzled out once they returned to the real world.

As Brittany told Life & Style, “I think that it really took a different turn when we got back to Charlotte and got back home. And I think that our in the pods we were very, very passionate and very intense. And then coming back home, that intensity kind of died down a bit.”

The former fiancés remain friends, with Brittany saying at the reunion, "Although we are no longer in a relationship together, the bond that we have is going to last for an eternity."

Laura and Jeramey’s engagement came to a fiery end once Laura learned her fiancé had reconnected with another pod mate, Sarah Ann Bick, during a night out. After their tense confrontation, Laura told Jeramey to kick rocks.

But instead of that, he went off to ride jet skis with Sarah Ann. 

During the reunion in March 2024, Jeramey revealed he has been dating Sarah Ann off-and-on for a year—ever since filming the show—but they've since broken up.

Laura is dating someone else, who she did not identify at the reunion.

While the season five couple seemed to have worked their way through various issues—including Izzy’s early connection with Johnie Maraist and Stacy’s high expectations about her lifestyle and plateware (no paper plates, please!)—Stacy cited Izzy's dishonesty about his credit history as a major reason she chose not to get married.

Despite not saying “I do” at the altar, however, Stacy still wanted to remain in a relationship with the devastated Izzy.

"We’re at different spots,” he told her. "It really breaks my heart."

As for Stacy, she was thankful to Izzy for opening her up "emotionally," but she didn't feel 100 percent about their future. "Fairly certain isn't good enough for me to say yes for the rest of my life," she explained.

Izzy is now dating surgical assistant Shelby Webb.

Season five's sole success story came from arguably its most unlikely pairing. 

After getting off to a rocky start after it was revealed Lydia was in a relationship with Milton's pod-friend Uche Okoroha before the show began, the geology-loving pair were the only ones to make it through the experiment still in a relationship. 

"Getting married is a dream come true," Lydia said. "I feel so, so happy. I got everything I need right here. It feels like home, it feels safe."

Ever the analytical engineer, Milton said, "All of the data points led me to: this is the right decision."

Opposites seemed to attract all season for this pair...until they got to the altar. Sensing Paul's hesitation, Micah asked him to give his answer first and it was a pass on marriage for Paul. 

"I literally feel like a disaster," Micah said. "If Paul would have wanted to marry me, I 100 percent would have said 'I do.'"

At the reunion, Paul apologized for his comment in a confessional about not being able to see Micah as a mother. 

"I think I phrased that really unfairly toward her," Paul explained. "I think the better way to phrase that would be that I can't see us as parents."

While the duo briefly reconciled after filming, they ultimately weren't able to make their relationship work, with Paul explaining they broke up for good when he visited Micah in Arizona.

In After the Altar, Paul revealed he was dating a new woman who enjoyed traveling and his cooking skills. He eventually went Instagram official with eyelash beautician Geneva Dunham.

Despite Kwame's mother refusing to attend the wedding and his arguably inappropriate conversations with Micah, whom he also connected with in the pods, Kwame and Chelsea were one of the three couples to exchange vows at the end of season four. 

During the reunion, Chelsea revealed she has since met her husband's mom and Kwame offered an apology to his wife and her family for his behavior, saying his talks with Micah were "not the best representation."

The couple is living in Seattle with their beloved dog Rocky.

Sure, they say love is blind, but occasionally it needs a little bit of time—or proposing to another woman—to realize you made the wrong choice. Which is what happened when Zack initially got engaged to Irina Solomonova, only for the couple to break up during their trip to Mexico.

After asking Bliss for a second chance, the pair defied the odds (and Bliss' dad's wishes) and both said "I do" at the altar. (And, no, they did not sit it out, enjoying that all important first turn around the dance floor to Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance," the song that bonded them in the pods.)

After the finale aired, Zack shared a photo of the couple on Instagram with the caption "Eternal Bliss."

The couple shared in November 2023 that they are expecting their first baby.

Come on, not since season one's Cameron Hamilton and Lauren Speed has an LIB pairing seemed so meant to be!

The oldest couple in the experiment—Tiffany was 36 and Brett was 37—exchanged vows, even though Brett had a sartorial emergency when his pants did not fit properly on their wedding day. (Shout out to seamstress Lucia, you're a real one!)

Since filming wrapped, Tiffany and Brett moved to Portland and are still perfect! Phew!

After SK said "I don't" at their wedding, he and Raven seemingly parted ways.

However, when the cameras stopped rolling, the former flames reunited, revealing they were dating again during the season three reunion special. 

But a month later, the couple announced that "we have decided to go our separate ways" amid allegations that SK had been unfaithful. In a joint statement shared on social media in November, SK and Raven said, "Due to on-going legal proceedings surrounding these allegations, we cannot provide additional details and ask that you please respect our privacy during this hard time. Thank you for following our love story and believing in us."

Fans watched with dismay as Jackie chose to give Josh Demas, the other man she connected with in the pods, a second chance, meeting up with him before ending her engagement to Marshall.

However, during the reunion, Jackie set the record straight on the timeline of events. "I broke up with Marshall before I met Josh at the coffee shop," she said. "It looks like I'm a cheater. I am not a cheater."

Jackie then addressed the end of her relationship with Marshall, saying she "can take accountability" for her words and actions. "We just weren't meant to be."

As for her romance with Josh? They were still dating and living together in After the Altar, but Jackie announced during a September 2023 Instagram Live that they had broken up.

As for Marshall, he told E! that he briefly connected with fellow contestant Kacia Clark after the show. "We tried," Marshall explained, "But I wanted to just distance myself from all of that from that experience."

In After the Altar, Marshall revealed he's been dating girlfriend Dr. Chay Barnes for one year and wants to spend forever with her. They got engaged in December 2023.

Nancy and Bartise had one of Love Is Blind's more explosive weddings, but not because of the bride or groom.

While Nancy was ready to get married in the season three finale episode, Bartise revealed he was not so confident in their relationship. The update did not sit well with Nancy's family, who unapologetically sounded off on Bartise.

Despite the drama, Bartise and Nancy have maintained an on-again, off-again friendship. "We've gone from being friends to being acquaintances," he told E!, "to being completely no communication back to friends."

And in April 2023, Bartisse, who appeared on Perfect Match, announced the arrival of his son, Hayden, though he hasn't publicly shared the identity of the little one's mom. 

Several months later, he debuted his new romance with Cait Vanderberry on Instagram.

Nancy has also entered a new relationship, but has yet to publicly reveal her boyfriend's identity. 

During the season finale, viewers watched as Alexa and Brennon got married in front of their loved ones.

In heartwarming vows, Alexa gushed, "You make me laugh, you make me think and, more than anything else, you make me happy."

The lovers announced in January 2024 that they are expecting their first baby and welcomed daughter Vienna Ziva Lemieux in July.

Well, we can't say we're surprised by this breakup.

The two never seemed to be on the same page during their courtship, resulting in several skirmishes. Though Zanab and Cole made it to the wedding altar, Zanab declared, "You have disrespected me. You have insulted me. You have critiqued me. And for what it is worth, you have single-handedly shattered my self-confidence."

Cole later reflected on their tumultuous relationship.

"We were going through all these bumps, but we were working through things and finding smoother waters," he told E! News. "And so I was hoping that we would at least be able to continue after the wedding if we didn't get married on that day."

Colleen and Matt successfully exchanged vows in the season three finale.

Despite the highs and lows they faced during their courtship, the pair felt confident in their relationship and happily said "I do."

On why she ultimately chose to go through with the wedding, Colleen told E! News, "As soon as I saw him cry and snort, I was like, 'That's my man.' So I knew that I was going to say yes as soon as I saw him."

And for those wondering, Colleen confirmed, "A year-and-a-half later, we're very, very happy."

During the season finale, Sal wasn't able to say, "I do."

In an E! News interview, he revealed that he was single after filming.

"Dating in the future now?" he said. "I don't even know the approach. I think the best approach is stay off the dating apps." 

As we know, Deepti and Shake's time on the show did not end with a happily ever after. 

While Deepti revealed to E! News that she is now single, her brother and Shake have been feuding on Instagram."'Shake', bruh, you're a loser," Deepti's brother Sunny and his partner Hina Merchant Vempati wrote in a joint Instagram. "You minimized my sister's life by making some awful and cringeworthy comments about her."

They continued, urging Shake to "stay the f--k away" from their sister.

Looks like Shake will be heading to his Nobu reservation alone! 

Though Natalie and Shayne's time on the show didn't end with the exchanging of vows, Natalie told E! the "love stories" we saw on the show were "completely genuine."

"It's not reality TV," Natalie shared. "It's our real lives, real feelings, and our real relationships."

Which is why Natalie was so hurt when Shayne allegedly agreed to star on the spinoff series Perfect Match while they were attempting to make their relationship work post-failed nuptials. 

"He texted me numerous times he wanted to leave midway through filming because he still had feelings for me after we saw each other for [the] first time since our breakup at the reunion show taping," she revealed on Instagram, adding  that she "encouraged him to continue filming."

And when production for Perfect Match had wrapped, Natalie said she met up with Shayne but "ultimately told him we shouldn't reconcile." 

Shayne, meanwhile, briefly dated Too Hot to Handle alum Chloe Veitch after they connected on Perfect Match. 

Danielle filed for divorce from Nick at a Chicago court on Aug. 15, 2022, more than a year after they married on the finale.

The two announced on Aug. 17, 2022 in a joint statement on Instagram, "After much thought, we're saddened to share that we have separated and will begin the process of divorcing. While we have love for each other, our lives are going in different directions, and that's okay. Coming to this decision was far from easy and we will always wish each other the absolute best."

While the pair confirmed their friendship had blossomed into a romance in the After the Altar spinoff, which debuted in September 2022, Kyle announced just days later that they had split in the time since the special was filmed.

And in April, Kyle proposed to his girlfriend Tania Leanos, whom he did not meet in a pod.

The pod squad's most solid and seemingly content couple, of course, made it official at the altar, both going through with the marriage (despite some early hesitation on Lauren's part). 

In December 2019, both Cam and Lauren posted vacation photos from Cancun, though they didn't tag each other or post photos of one another. They also happen to be wearing the same pair of sunglasses, so…

But also, Lauren revealed in an interview with Elite Daily that they are still together. "Oh my God. We're so happy," she gushed. "It's just, like, every day we learn more and more about each other, and we honestly fall more and more in love with each other."

Cameron posted a photo from their wedding day, simply captioning the pic, "The happiest day of my life."

Despite some chilly feet on Barnett's behalf on the morning of the ceremony, Barnett and Amber exchanged vows in the finale's final wedding. And over a year later, they are still married. 

For their respective Fourth of July Instagram snaps, the husband and wife duo both wore the same American flag cowboy hat.

They revealed in October 2024 that they are expecting their first baby.

OK, if you thought these two were actually going to end up married at the end of this thing after their many, many struggles (the 10-year age difference, her being attracted to Barnett, Jessica not really being into Mark physically, etc., etc.), well...bless your naive little heart. 

Since their failed wedding, with Jessica being the one to pull the plug (duh), Mark revealed to the New York Post in February 2020 that he had not spoken to Jessica since that day, though he had reached out at one point.  

"I didn't hear back, but to me, it's just sending love out there," he said, adding the LIB experiment was still the "best" thing to happen to him. "Without Jessica, there would not be a Mark of today."

Mark and Aubrey Rainey wed in September 2022. Their sons, Ace and Axton, served as ring bearers.

As for Jessica, she married Dr. Ben McGrath, a podiatrist, in August 2022. The couple welcomed their son, Dax, in June 2023. 

Damian delivered one of Love is Blind's most shocking moments when he blindsided Giannina by revealing he didn't think they should get married at the altar. 

But the pair delivered another surpriae when they revealed they had reconciled during the season one reunion. Alas,  they broke up again, with Giannina telling E! News in August 2021 that she was "officially single."

She went on to find love on another reality show, entering a romance with Bachelor Nation's Blake Horstmann after the pair met while filming All Star Shore in 2022. She announced in November 2023 that they're expecting a baby.

Damian, meanwhile, sparked romance rumors with Too Hot to Handle alum Francesca Farago, with the duo dating on the spinoff series Perfect Match after her explosive surprise appearance during Love Is Blind: After the Altar.

Alas, Damian and Francesca left Perfect Match single.

Viewers were surprised when Kelly revealed she didn't feel a real physical attraction for Kenny and chose not to go through with the marriage, much to her family's surprise. 

Since their wedding day, Kenny has moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, while Kelly still lives in Atlanta working as a health and empowerment coach. One of her recent Instagram posts was about being single in your 30s—"I know boundaries now. I love myself so much that I won't just be with a guy bc I'm lonely."

In August 2020, Kenny announced he was engaged to girlfriend Alexandra Garrison. The couple wed two years later.

While they were one of the six couples to get engaged in the pods (well, at least the six that the producers decided to continue filming with), Diamond and Carlton didn't make it to the end of their trip to Mexico, breaking up in an explosive fight after Carlton revealed to her that he was bisexual. 

But with time, the former engaged couple could end up as friends, with Carlton telling People, "At this point, whatever happens, happens. It would be great. But it takes time I think. I think we both have to still process the way we feel. We still have different views on the way things panned out and what was done wrong."

Diamond added, "We have a lot of growing, both of us, to do and I am willing to grow. I love growing but I feel like we can at least come now to a medium and be able to sit and now talk because this is a very touchy subject. And both of us still get emotional about it. Even though it happened over a year ago, it still feels like it was yesterday."

Back in June 2020, a fan shared a post in Reddit that questioned Mark's relationship status after he and Jessica ended their engagement.

"My close friend's co-worker is dating Mark!!" the user wrote while including a screenshot of Mark's picture and another woman who appeared to be on a date.

LC, another woman Mark had connected with in the pods, then confirmed that they had been seeing each other by responding, "This is awkward because I live in Atlanta and I've been dating Mark since the beginning of May…Oh and btw, this is LC from Love is Blind…"

The couple would later confirm they were not together.