Liam Cooper, the first openly bisexual participant of Married at First Sight Australia. (Screen capture via Nine Network)
Married at First Sight Australia fans have expressed their alarm and “disgust” at star Liam Cooper being outed as bisexual during Monday night’s (15 March) episode.
The show sees total strangers get hitched after relationships experts pair them together.
And on the 29-year-old’s wedding day, where he was set to marry Georgia Fairweather, Cooper was outed by fellow show participant Rebecca Zemek, the Daily Mail Australia reported.
The prison case officer, based in Brisbane, Queensland, was robbed of the chance to come out to his bride-to-be as the season eight newlyweds introduced themselves to the original cast.
Viewers of the Nine Network reality show responded with anger over the show’s handling of its first openly bisexual groom, with some fans wondering why the cast “laughed” at Cooper’s sexuality.
Married at First Sight Australia star left distraught after cast member outs him
Rebecca Zemek grilled the pair about what their “non-negotiables” would be, with Georgia Fairweather explaining: “I would really struggle if you were super judgmental and close-minded, that would be hard for me cause I’m totally the opposite.”
“What are yours, Liam?” Zemek asked.
Liam Cooper described how no matter who he is paired up with, he’s willing to give it a shot. “So what if they didn’t swing your way?” Zemek hit back, “is that a non-negotiable?”
“That’s fine,” Cooper replied, to which Fairweather asked: “Are you bisexual?”
“I am, yeah, yeah,” a stunned Cooper said as Fairweather looked around the room. He could later be heard telling producers: “I can’t believe that that just happened in front of everyone.”
Cooper was wary throughout the rest of the episode of how Fairweather, an entrepreneur who runs her own bikini business, took his outing.
During a one-on-one conversation later, he nervously asked how she was feeling.
“I believe that whatever, like, things that you did before, it all led you to be here today and the person that you are,” Fairweather said as she sought to reassure him.
“So as long as you choose to be with me and we are the people that we need to be […] it doesn’t bother me, honestly.”
The scene came to, in part, muddy what was a leap in LGBT+ representation for Married at First Sight, with viewers airing their “disgust” at Cooper being outed.
Some took to Twitter to question the participants’ seemingly shocked reactions considering there is nothing, you know, remotely shocking about someone being attracted to more than one gender.
Are you joking #MAFS ? It’s 2021. I know these people sign up for this show (and obviously I continue to watch it) but to put someone in a position where their sexuality is basically laughed at is NOT okay. #mafsau
— Hayley Willis (@Hayley__Willis) March 15, 2021
#mafs i’m so happy that there’s bisexual representation in this season but i would’ve freaked out if i was forced to come out like liam did :/
— 🧸 (@yibowos) March 15, 2021
That was disgusting and cringe to watch. The poor bloke. He should never have been outed like that, and for them to then laugh at him the way they did. Very disappointed the way #MAFS set that all up for shock value.
— ʟʏɴᴅᴀ ᴏʟꜱᴏɴ (@Lyndzzz) March 15, 2021
It’s the shitty reactions to Liam coming out for me #MAFS #MAFSAU pic.twitter.com/KnauLMk0Cx
— Daisy (@daisyjane____) March 15, 2021
why is everyone staring at Liam like he just said something absolutely horrific? he’s bisexual, move on! #MAFS pic.twitter.com/ajKPxJ4XDU
— alysha (@intosneedy) March 15, 2021
No one should be forced to come out like that on national tv. I want to give Liam a big hug. #mafs #mafsau
— Arianne Rich (@ariannerrich) March 15, 2021
It comes after the programme broke new ground when it introduced its first lesbian couple, Tash Herz and Amanda Micallef, in its seventh season.