Courtesy of Nick Thompson/Instagram
Love Is Blind’s Nick Thompson Claims He’s Going to be ‘Homeless’ After Being ‘Exploited’ by Netflix
Love Is Blind alum Nick Thompson has claimed he’s falling on some very hard times. After losing his job, the reality TV alum has revealed that he is on the brink of homelessness after appearing on the Netflix show, additionally claiming he was “exploited” by the streaming service.
“When you think about the amount of money that’s being made, and the way that it’s the path for future seasons, and the fact that anyone can go on and watch me … and I’m going to be homeless,” the season 2 star, 38, in a Tuesday, August 1, interview.
Nick added that his appearance on Love Is Blind has made it hard for him to find work. “I lost my job last November. … I burned through my savings that cashed out my 401(k). I’ve got two months left in the bank to pay my mortgage. I can’t get a job because people don’t take me seriously.”
He went on to explain, “I was a VP in software for five years, so it’s not like I don’t have track record of experience or success.”
Nick said he was only paid $10,000 for 10 weeks of filming despite being on camera “18 to 20 hours a day. And that doesn’t that necessarily mean that you’re always going to be on TV, but you’re mic’d up from the moment you get there in the morning, and you’re mic’d up all the way until you leave,” he claimed.
The podcaster approximated he was making less than minimum wage, as Nick reportedly earned about $7.14 per hour, while the minimum wage in Illinois where his season was film is $8.50 an hour.
The former reality star went on to say he felt like a “prisoner” during Love Is Blind’s filming. In addition to the long hours, Nick further claimed, “When you go home at the end of the day, you’re locked in your hotel room without a key, without your wallet, without money, without identification. You literally are held captive like a prisoner and there is absolutely no reason that you shouldn’t be considered an employee when you’re technically under the control of your employer for 24 hours a day.”
As for why he didn’t quit the show, Nick revealed he was contractually obligated to appear or risk having to pay $50,000 in damages.
“I wish I could just go back to having a nice life that I had built for myself, instead of wondering whether my mortgage is gonna get paid,” he admitted, adding about reality TV, “It’s a brutal, brutal, brutal industry.” He has since launched the Unscripted Cast Advocacy Network, with the intention of providing mental health support and legal aide to reality stars.
Nick found love on the program, marrying Danielle Ruhl. She filed for divorce in August 2022 after one year of marriage. Both have been open about how the stresses of production and leaving the confines of the show caused mental health issues. with Danielle specifically claiming that she had a panic attack while filming and hid in a closet to evade producers.
“I kept telling them, ‘I don’t trust myself. I’ve tried committing suicide before,'” she claimed as part of a catastrophic Business Insider article published in April. “‘I’m having suicidal thoughts. I don’t think I can continue this.'”
The two reunited on Nick’s “Eyes Wide Open” podcast on May 30, where Danielle, 29, confessed, “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,” adding, “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.”
“I was lost with you, I was lost with myself,” she continued, while Nick added, “Neither of us, separate or together should have been in that environment where we weren’t supported, I really do think … sometimes I think things might have been different if we had some support and we weren’t in such a hostile environment” where their lives were “next to impossible at times.”
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
