The reality star opened up to ET about how he's struggled since his time on the Netflix series.
For Love Is Blind alum Nick Thompson, it seems that being on the Netflix reality dating series has taken a toll on his life that he wasn't expecting.
Thompson recently chatted with ET's Kevin Frazier and opened up about his criticism of Love Is Blind and Netflix, and his claims that he is on the brink of homelessness, due in part to his role on the show.
Thompson was laid off from his job as a VP of marketing back in November, "And since then I’ve been looking for a new role in marketing and tech, and I have been not taken very seriously."
"I've done everything right. I focused on my career, I saved... [but now] my unemployment’s gone, I had to cash out my 401k so I can just keep paying my mortgage," he shared. "I'm at the point where I've applied to over 400 jobs and I've got about two months left of paying my mortgage in my bank account."
According to Thompson, he feels his role on the show hasn't just impacted his ability to get a new job, but may have played a role in him getting terminated in the first place.
"There were a number of layoffs, but it was a week after my name was not politely mentioned in the media, so I think that might have been a contributing factor when decisions were being made," Thompson said. "That's speculation, of course, but after the show came out... I definitely felt like I wasn't taken as seriously anymore... people would treat me a little bit differently and not take my ideas or my work as seriously."
And Thompson says his Love Is Blind fame also "changes the whole dynamic" when he's interviewing for jobs.
"It's not about my skills necessarily anymore. It's not necessarily about what I've accomplished in the past, or what I'm capable of doing," he said, adding that even in situations when the interview goes well, "You you get to the end and it's like they don't want what's perceived as like a circus or something."
"The feedback [I've gotten] was that they didn't want my name, necessarily, associated with their company, because they were still in a sort of a start-up growth phase, and they just didn't want the distraction," Thompson said. "So those are the types of things that happen."
While Thompson continues to look for work, he's also been trying to help others who are in a similar position as himself -- those who feel they've been left stranded in their real lives after their time in the reality TV spotlight.
Thompson took to Instagram in April to announce he had co-founded the UCAN Foundation, which stands for Unscripted Cast Advocacy Network.
"Our goal there is to take care of the immediate thing right now, which is that we have cast members that need legal and mental health support," Thompson shared. "So we built the network. There are over 400 therapists, over 50 entertainment lawyers, that are in our network, that are there ready to help."
"We've been connecting people as needed, but ultimately the goal there is that we need a serious change in this industry, because somehow it's escaped regulation and any type of labor practices or its entire existence," Thompson stated. "I'm I'm using the little bit of free time that I have to try and help some people."
According to Thompson, he was paid $10,000 for 10 weeks worth of work, and Netflix made no consideration for residuals when it came to their contract with him or other cast members. He also decried the working conditions.
"You get a thousand dollars-a-week stipend while you're filming the show. So, I went the whole way, you know, till the very end, and got married. So I got $7,000, and then an additional three weeks, for After the Altar, which equated to $10,000 total for the entire thing," Thompson said. "When you're working in the pods and you're in Mexico for three weeks, you are under complete control and surveillance, 24/7, by these producers in the production company. You can't leave your hotel room in the five to six-hours you get to spend there. And other than that, you're majorly mic'd up and filming."
Thompson recently spoke with Daily Mail and compared the treatment of the cast to being "held captive like a prisoner" and blames Netflix for not considering and treating the casts of their reality TV shows like employees.
However, with both his work as the executive director for outreach with UCAN and through his podcast -- Eyes Wide Open With Nick Thompson -- he hopes to raise awareness and help other reality cast members who have found themselves adrift.
Thompson shared some advice with ET for future Love Is Blind contestants, suggesting, "Get your mental health in gear. Understand that what you see on there is going to feel like gaslighting, and just be confident enough to speak your truth."
As for his advice for people watching -- and possibly judging or criticizing at home -- Thompson said, "No matter what reality TV show you're watching, these people are human beings. They have nuance... Perception is not always reality, and I think it's time for all of us in reality unscripted casts to come together, unite and organize."
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