Fans accuse Netflix of bullying over Love Is Blind billboard

‘Let’s call this what it is, rude and disrespectful and mean girl activity,’ one fan responds to Netflix’s joke on Instagram

Fans have accused Netflix of “bullying” a Love Is Blind season six contestant, Chelsea Blackwell, with its newest social media joke.

The streaming company took to Instagram on 28 February to share an edit of a billboard, which featured a reference to Love Is Blind season six, which follows contestants based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The sign in question mocked a viral scene from the season when Blackwell was still dating her now-fiancee, Jimmy Presnell, in the pods, and she told him that people tell her she looks like Megan Fox.

“‘People say I look like the Hollywood sign’ - Me on Love Is Blind,” the billboard read. The caption also quipped about the comparison between the billboard and Hollywood sign, writing: “I’m flattered.”

In the comments, many people have criticised Netflix for the joke, with some claiming that the company is poking fun at Blackwell.

“As much as this might be funny it’s also low key bullying, just saying,” one wrote, while another commented: “Wow! As much as I don’t like her on the show - this is so mean for a company to post… just wow!”

“An entire corporation targeting one woman... on her appearance,” a third added.

Other people went on to defend Blackwell from the quip, as her comment on the show sparked an immense online debate about whether she resembles Fox or not.

“Wowza.. feeling pretty bad for Chelsea these days. She’s getting dragged through the mud for that comment,” one wrote.

“Let’s call this what it is, rude and disrespectful and mean girl activity. Regardless if @chelseadblackwell laughs it off, it’s not a nice post,” another added.

During one of Blackwell’s dates with Presnell in the pods on Love Is Blind, she told him she’d get told “all the time” that she looked like a certain celebrity during flights. “It’s just because I have dark hair and blue eyes,” she said. “But I don’t see it, so don’t get excited.”

She then revealed to Presnell who she gets compared to, without mentioning Fox’s name. “I don’t even know if it’s [Machine Gun Kelly’s] wife or his fiancée,” she said before he responded: “Megan Fox? You’re saying you look like Megan Fox.”

Blackwell once again clarified why she got the comparison, continuing: “It’s only because I have light eyes and dark hair.” However, Presnell appeared to be excited about this remark, as he jokingly asked Blackwell: “Can we get married?”

When the pair got engaged and officially met in person, Presnell claimed that Blackwell wasn’t entirely honest about her appearance, including the Megan Fox comparison.

“She definitely lied to me about some [of] how she looked. Chelsea told me she looked like Megan Fox. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter. I am very attracted to her. I can work with that,” he told the camera.

After fans took to social media to respond to Blackwell’s claim, the reality star hit back. In a video posted to TikTok earlier this month, she acknowledged how viewers have disagreed with her comparisons to the Jennifer’s Body star, as the text over the footage reads: “POV: Watching Love Is Blind and waiting for THAT scene.”

Blackwell’s video continued with her applying her lipstick, as she lip-synced a viral sound on TikTok, which said: “Nothing makes me scared. Do you see my hand? Do they look like they’re shaking to you? No.” While addressing viewer responses to how she’s been compared to Fox, she captioned her video with: “Truly humbled by the internet.”

Following the backlash, Blackwell also spoke to Access Hollywood about her decision to tell Presnell that she looks like Fox, before her partner met her and said he disagreed with the comparison. “I have a long face, and she has a long face,” she said about the actor. “She has light eyes. I’m getting dragged through the trenches right now. Because of Jimmy.”

However, she also expressed her regrets about having that conversation with Presnell, since the point of the show is to find a relationship that’s not based on looks. “Like why’d we have to do that?” she said.

The Independent has contacted Netflix for comment.