The two reality TV besties were criticized for their 'mean girl' behavior in the women's lounge on season 4 of the Netflix series.
SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't watched season 4 of Love Is Blind, proceed with caution.
Though Love Is Blind might be all about finding love, season 4 displayed another headline-making relationship — the somewhat toxic friendship between co-stars Micah Lussier and Irina Solomonova.
The two pals were widely criticized for their behavior in the pods and the women's lounge as they were spotted laughing at their emotional co-stars and flirting with men who were not their partners. Both women have since issued public apologies on their respective social media accounts for their behavior, and ET spoke with a tearful Micah about her regrets from her time on the show.
But what is the status of their friendship today? Ahead of the live reunion taping on Sunday and prior to their season airing, Irina spoke with ET's Will Marfuggi about her friendship with Micah.
"When I met Micah, I felt really lucky because me and her became best friends. So I feel that that made it a lot more fun, having your best friend in the lounge with you," Irina told ET at the time. "I just have to say that because we felt so, so close, it was like having your best friend there, so it felt easier. I think it seemed like we did the stirring because we took everything more light-heartedly. We came in like, 'Whatever happens, happens."
Describing their current relationship as "actually best friends," Irina added that they "hang out all the time."
After some of the episodes aired, Micah spoke with ET about how the pair had been coping with the negative attention.
"Yeah, we still talk. I think this has been a growing experience for both of us," Micah shared. "Hopefully we can help each other through that."
Irina also offered up an explanation for why she felt the need to tell Micah about her feelings for Micah's then-fiancé, Paul Peden. In an off-camera moment, Irina told Micah in Mexico that she'd developed feelings for Paul after she and her fiancé, Zack Goytowski, had called it quits. She later met up with Micah in Seattle for an awkward exchange to discuss the tension.
"Because I said it on camera before I talked to her -- she was my best friend so I felt like I had to tell her," Irina told ET of her decision to share her feelings with Micah. "I didn't want it to feel like I was going behind her back.... It wasn't like, 'I want to take action and oh my gosh, I like Paul.' I think Paul helped me realize, the energy I felt talking to Paul was what I was lacking talking to Zack... I did not want to pursue Paul and he did not want to pursue me. He was clearly in love with Micah and I could see that seeing them together. It was just something for me where I was like, 'Wow, I feel really drawn to this person.'"
Micah said the exchange, in the moment, felt like a "backstab."
"I was like, 'For real? I'm the only one who's ever been there for you. What the heck? Don't turn on me. Don't backstab someone who's always had your back, always gone to bat for you. It felt really hurtful,'" Micah told ET. "Do I think she was trying to hurt me? Maybe not... I was really upset in that moment."
She later added, "Eventually, I was able to understand that and forgive her for it."
As for the rest of the cast's impressions of Micah and Irina's friendship, not everyone is a fan. Micah's ex, Paul, who said no to her at the altar, spoke to ET about how he felt his ex acted around certain friends.
"Some people bring out the bad sides of Micah, they bring out the worst in her," he told ET. "For instance, the Irina friendship, I feel that for whatever reason it was the negative sides of the personalities that were kind of catalytic for each other. It brought that out for each other. Whenever Micah removed herself from those situations, and particularly whenever her and I were one on one, she was quite different."
As for Chelsea Griffin, who was on the receiving end of both of the ladies' bad behavior, she was more sympathetic toward her co-stars.
"[In tough situations], you resort to something that may feel comfortable to you -- laughter or silliness or jokiness... I'm not condoning that behavior. But I feel like that did happen," Chelsea told ET. "And I know, I've spoken with both of them. They have grown a lot. This was a year ago."
Season 4 of Love Is Blind is currently streaming on Netflix. The live reunion special will stream on Sunday, April 16 at 8 p.m. ET on Netflix.
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