Love Is Blind season 11 contestant John Shannon is clarifying his healthcare beliefs after a tense pod debate with eventual fiancée Sarah Williams.
“Just to clarify a couple of things: I believe in a woman’s right to choose,” John, 33, wrote in a Friday, October 16, Instagram statement. “I tried to communicate during our conversation that I don’t believe abortion should be illegal.”
John went on a pod date with Sarah, 34, in the season 11 premiere, in which they appeared to disagree about abortion rights and other healthcare topics.
“I’m not ‘anti-vax,’” John added in his social media statement. “My most recent vaccine was the shingles, which was recommended before I started treatment for my [multiple sclerosis].”
He continued, “I love that so many of you recognize how wonderful Sarah is. We had an hour-long conversation about these topics that was condensed into about 45 seconds.”
Despite production shortening their date, John said he and Sarah “found it to be a wonderful, production conversation.”
John and Sarah connected sight unseen in the Love Is Blind pods during the Boston-set experiment, which was filmed in 2025 and began airing Wednesday, October 14. Their bond faltered after Sarah overheard John tell another contestant that she was his “bottom” choice when he left the door open on his way out of the pods.
The two Netflix stars were ultimately able to overcome John’s hot mic moment, getting engaged before the end of the blind experiment.
“You’ve been everything that I’ve been looking for, and I think you’re perfect,” Sarah told John through the pod walls. “If you’re not, then that’s OK too.”
John felt the same, telling Sarah that he loved her.
“I can only see that [feeling] getting more intense,” he said. “I’m very excited about you. I do love you, and I guess what I’m say is I want you to be my wife — a lot. Will you marry me?”
Sarah gushed that she’d “be happy to” marry John before they finally met face to face.
“You’re so hot,” he marveled to his future bride. “I couldn’t be happier. I was thinking of every possible genre of how you look and I was like, ‘There’s literally nothing that would’ve changed my mind.”
Speaking in a confessional afterward, John was already looking forward to their next chapter as a couple.
“She loves me, I love her,” he told the cameras. “I just can’t wait to, you know, start our journey together.”
Love Is Blind season 11 is currently streaming on Netflix. New episodes drop weekly on Wednesdays.
