Love Is Blind season 10 star Mike Gibney has made it clear to his new girlfriend, Tara, that fatherhood is in his future.
“We’ve talked about kids,” Mike, 30, exclusively told Us Weekly before the Wednesday, March 11, reunion hit Netflix. “I wanna be clear on this — kids did not mean I need them yesterday. On the show, I know that it seemed like, ‘I’m so kid-friendly, and oh my god, a baby factory, I need kids.’ That’s not the case.”
He continued, “I just want a family in my future, [and] I want to know that’s in my future, and the time frame is 2-5 years after getting married, so not when we start dating.”
Mike started seeing Tara months after calling off his engagement to Emma Betsinger at the altar.
“I met Tara in July [2025, and] actually, we met through Instagram friends. She followed me, and then we ended up laughing over a meme or something that I think she posted on her Story,” Mike recalled. “We went and got dinner, and then that was it from there. I mean, it’s been amazing. I can’t think of a better person to go through this process with.”
He added, “I told her this, I don’t know if I would be able to do what she’s doing with the strength that she’s doing it. To watch your significant other fall in love and go to the altar and go through this process, it’s a lot, [but] she’s been an absolute trooper.”
Mike proposed to Emma, 28, sight unseen during Love Is Blind season 10, which was filmed in February 2025 and aired on Netflix one year later. Mike ultimately said no at the altar over Emma’s indecision about having children. Emma did choose to marry Mike at their wedding, thinking that she might eventually be open to having kids.
“On the biggest day, there was a switch-up that I wasn’t aware of,” Mike told Us, claiming that he and Emma discussed breaking up before the ceremony to avoid a shocking blindside. “Even if it did come from a place of emotion at the time and shown as her love for me, which that’s all fair [and] valid, somebody that can switch their mind like that in two days … it’s a big [factor].”
While Emma led with her heart over her head at the altar, Mike questioned whether she’d do the same with future children.
“In my mind, I’m, like, ‘Well, what happens if you say yes to children? And now, a year down the road … you decide no?’” he told Us. “And I’m already married to you, so that’s where my mindset was [in saying no].”
Love Is Blind season 10 star Emma Betsinger admittedly felt “awkward” explaining to fiancé Mike Gibney’s parents about her reasons for not wanting to have children. “It was very stressful,” Emma, 28, exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the Netflix premiere of the latest batch of new episodes. “[Mike and I] talk extensively about it. […]
Now that Love Is Blind is in the rearview, Mike is focused on his next steps with Tara.
“She actually went back to New Jersey around Christmastime to meet my family,” he said. “She not only met my [immediate] family, but she met a little bit of my extended family, too, because it was around the holidays. Everybody hit it off, it was great. They were drinking wine, having a good time together, so all that went really, really smoothly.”
Love Is Blind is currently streaming on Netflix.
