Danielle Ruhl and Nick Thompson may not be officially back together — but their shared experience keeps them close.
The ex-spouses had a heart-to-heart about their Love Is Blind experience on Tuesday’s episode of Thompson’s Eyes Wide Open podcast.
“We lived through all of it together, but no one else in the world, even my friends — everyone else that was on the show — none of them had the experience that we did,” Ruhl, 29, said. “And that’s why it was so hard to not be able to find comfort with anyone. No one else can relate to this but you and I.”
Both Ruhl and Thompson, 37, have alleged filming involved abusive elements by Netflix’s production team — something Netflix and production company Kinetic Content have adamantly denied — and they dove deeper into how the current media conversation revived their connection.
The exes were independently cited in an exposé of allegations against Love Is Blind, published by Business Insider in April. That story ultimately got Ruhl and Thompson talking again.
Until they spoke, Ruhl said they’d been “supporting each other from afar when we were the only ones that lived through” the allegedly unpleasant experience.
Thompson admitted seeing Ruhl in the media “triggered a whole bunch of feelings,” and it took "one too many drinks" for him to reach out to her. Their drunken texts ended with Ruhl showing up at Thompson’s Chicago apartment where the exes were finally able to have "a real conversation" for “eight hours” until “5 a.m.” about their Love Is Blind experience and subsequent divorce.
"It felt like no time had passed, but a lot of time had passed,” Danielle said. "It was a weird feeling."
Added Nick: "I've been feeling so stuck because there’s so much unfinished business with us."
It was also on that night Ruhl uploaded a snuggly selfie of the pair to Instagram — a photo they both admitted they didn't remember posting.
Thompson also confirmed fan speculation that Ruhl’s mascara was all over his white shirt in the photo. "We had cried a lot at that point," he said, noting that they spent the evening in tears, talking through everything they’d never said.
The photo not only caught fans by surprise, but also the duo's family members who individually reached out to the pair asking when they "started talking again."
"I'm like, 'No, it's literally that day.' There's no secret, it was the first time we've seen each other," Ruhl explained.
Thompson and Ruhl didn’t discuss where their relationship stands now — though there is a second part of the podcast that has yet to air.
Part 1 of the conversation also dove into both Thompson and Ruhl’s negative experiences with producers, particularly when their producers from the pods were allegedly swapped for some harsher oversight once the pair got to Mexico. The duo also said they feared they were too “boring” of a couple to actually have screen time — something they consider as a reason producers allegedly prodded their relationship with plotlines about Ruhl’s anxiety.
In response to the Business Insider story in April, a rep for Kinetic issued a statement to outlet denying the claims. "The wellbeing of our participants is of paramount importance to Kinetic. We have rigorous protocols in place to care for each person before, during, and after filming," the statement read.
Ruhl filed for divorce from Thompson in August. They were the second couple to split from Love Is Blind season 2 after one year of marriage. Iyanna McNeely and Jarrette Jones — the only other season 2 married couple — announced their divorce the same week.
Love Is Blind seasons 1 through 4 are now streaming in full on Netflix.
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