The contestant, 27, got the internet talking after he made his debut on the Netflix dating show on October 19 and fans instantly questioned whether he was related to Matt.
Matt, who goes by “Barnett,” starred on the first season of Love Is Blind in 2020 and is currently still married to Amber Pike, who he met and wed on the show.
Cole and Matt share the same last name, but it was their energy and mannerisms that had viewers convinced they must be family.
Speaking to Newsweek, Cole, who has received some backlash from Love Is Blind viewers over his treatment of his fiancée Zanab Jaffrey, revealed his thoughts on his and Matt’s similarities.
“No-one has ever said that to me before [the show]. I think, obviously, we both have the same last name and so there’s like a meme that says we’re being mass produced,” he told Newsweek, laughing.
Cole then confirmed that they are not related, adding: “Someone messaged me like, ‘Oh I just found out you’re brothers’ I was like, ‘No, we’re not brothers,’ and then they said, ‘So you’re cousins?’ I’m like, ‘No! We are not related.’”
When asked if he understood why so many people thought that he and Matt were family, Cole admitted they do share “the look, the energy, the name, the vibe, yeah.”
Love Is Blind released the first four episodes of its third season on October 19, with a new batch then following on October 26, and fans were quick to compare Matt and Cole on Twitter.
“Are Cole and Barnett from S1 related? because they have the same last name and same idiot frat boy energy #LoveIsBlind,” posted one viewer.
“So Matt ‘Barnett’ from season 1 is related to Cole from this season, cannot convince me otherwise. #LoveIsBlind,” wrote another, as a third added: “So Cole is related to Barnett right? Because… #LoveIsBlind.”
Meanwhile, Cole Barnett also revealed to Newsweek that he is trying to stay active on social media during Love Is Blind’s airing, amid backlash from fans over his relationship with Jaffrey.
Cole proposed to Jaffrey in the pods but since meeting face to face the couple have been struggling, and viewers have responded badly to scenes of Barnett saying that one of the other contestants, Colleen Reed, is “exactly” the type of woman he would usually go for.
“I’m trying to post to keep people [engaged] and stay involved in people’s lives and connect with as many people as I can…but I’m not going to read into any of the negativity,” he said.
Fans won’t find out until November 9 whether Cole Barnett and Jaffrey, and the other Season 3 couples, end up tying the knot.
The first seven episodes of Love Is Blind Season 3 are available to stream now on Netlix.
The next batch of episodes will be released on November 2. The finale and reunion episodes are due to be released on November 9.
