What began as a fairy-tale romance on reality TV has now turned into a deeply personal battle behind the scenes. “Love Is Blind” star Milton Johnson is pushing back in his split from Lydia Velez-Gonzalez, accusing his estranged wife of “cruel treatment” in new court documents.
According to a report published in US Weekly, on September 26, Johnson, 27, filed a counterclaim against Lydia, 34, after she had petitioned for divorce in June. He asked that her filing be dismissed and alleged that Lydia was “guilty of cruel treatment” of a “nature that renders further living together insupportable.”
His lawyer added that the marriage had become “insupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities… that prevents any reasonable expectation of reconciliation.” Johnson listed May 31, 2022, as their wedding date and March 31, 2025, as the date of separation.
Lydia Velez-Gonzalez Opened Up About Split
Lydia previously shared her side of the story during a June 11 appearance on the “What’s the Reality?” podcast. She revealed she had filed for divorce one day earlier, calling the end of her marriage “painful.”
“I have decided [to] file for divorce against Milton. It wasn’t one thing. It was a layer of situations and things that just kept piling up,” she said. Lydia explained that Milton refused to sign divorce papers unless she agreed to an NDA, a demand that confirmed to her it was time to “share [her] truth.”
Cracks in the Marriage Emerge
Lydia described the beginning of her relationship with Johnson as “beautiful” and “like a fairy tale.” Over time, though, she said she felt unseen and unsupported.
“He never complimented me or commented on my social media photos,” she claimed. She also alleged that after being diagnosed with fibromyalgia in September 2024, Milton downplayed her health struggles. “Instead of him being my support [system], he told me, ‘You’re not dying. You just have to eat healthy and work out,’” she said.
(Photo by Mat Hayward/Getty Images for Netflix)Alongside her claims of emotional distance, Lydia accused Johnson of pursuing other women before their separation. She said she received multiple messages from women alleging he flirted with them in bars, bought drinks, and was seen in California with another woman.
By March 2025, Lydia stated that she had severed communication with Johnson. “If you truly love a person, you wouldn’t do this [and] you will actually hold yourself accountable,” she explained.
Lydia said her communication with Milton had already broken down by the spring. “It’s been that way since March 31, the reason being [once] I asked for the divorce, he wanted an NDA,” she explained on the podcast. “After that, he told me … [that I was] stupid and untrustworthy … I don’t think he loves me because he has given me the silent treatment for the past month. If you truly love a person, you wouldn’t do this [and] you will actually hold yourself accountable.”
She also alleged that Milton pursued other women before their split. “Along the period [that we’ve been] married, I have received, on five different occasions, messages from women allegedly saying that he’s pursuing them at bars, paying for a woman’s drinks, heavily flirting,” Lydia claimed. She added that a former friend even had pictures of Milton in California with another woman.
