"MAFS" fans torn over Mackinley's mom's reply to race remark (2024)

Some Married at First Sight fans have aired their concerns for season 16 couple Mackinley and Domynique, following Wednesday night's episode.

The duo met for the first time at their Nashville, Tennessee wedding, after being paired together by the Lifetime show's panel of experts; Dr. Pepper Schwartz, Pastor Calvin Roberson, DeVon Franklin and Dr. Pia Holec.

As well as meeting their spouses for the first time at the altar, Married at First Sight contestants meet each other's family members only at the weddings, which can lead to some awkward interactions.

On the latest episode of Married at First Sight, it was time for Domynique, 25, and Mackinley, 34, to walk down the aisle.

Ahead of the ceremony, which was put together by celebrity event planner Slomique Hawrylo, Mackinley seemed nervous as he admitted to his friends that he had been "vague" when describing what he was looking for to the experts, and that he wanted to have a "physical attraction" to his wife.

Domynique, meanwhile, was seen discussing her dream husband with her own family and friends, joking that she needed somebody to be able to kill bugs for her.

Just before the wedding ceremony, Mackinley's mother, Linda, told him that he wished he was getting married in a more "traditional" way, and had dated someone for a few years before walking down the aisle.

The couple then shared a few jokes before Linda walked her son into the wedding ceremony, where Domynique's friends and family were also gathered.

After Domynique and Mackinley had married, they sat down to have a chat. Both admitted to feeling relieved that the wedding was over and they had finally met. There was then a reception party where the two families were able to come together and get to know each other better.

Domynique was seen having an in-depth chat with Linda, Mackinley's mom, her new mother-in- law, where she spoke about her experiences of dating as a biracial woman and questioned whether Mackinley's family, who are white, would be accepting of her.

"I didn't have any specifications on race," Domynique said, in reference to the matchmaking process, adding: "But ultimately, growing up in the South, it has been, like, a bigger hurdle for me, and those types of things do weigh heavy on my heart... I really just want to be accepted for who I am."

Linda replied to Domynique, saying: "I think you're lovely, and, yes, but... it's hard being married, so I don't know."

Domynique's mother, Toya, who is Black, was then seen having a similar conversation with her new son-in-law. She asked Mackinley if the fact that her daughter is biracial was going to be an issue with his family, to which he responded "absolutely not."

After the scenes aired, some Married at First Sight fans were not satisfied with Linda's response and felt like she hadn't engaged with Domynique enough on the issue she was concerned about.

Taking to Twitter, one fan posted: "That conversation with Mackinley's mom... Dominyque shares that she was afraid of being accepted because she's clearly got Black heritage and she's in the South. His mom tells her...'marriage is hard.' But I guess that's better than 'I don't see color.'"

Another fan tweeted: "Mackinley's mom was like 'so anyway...' when Domynique told her she had a hard time dating because she's Black and in the South.

"I get it and that convo needed to be had but that white woman didn't want her son to do this... PERIOD."

"Did Mackinley's mom ignore Domynique's concern about race?? She just jumped straight to ' it's hard being married' so awkward," added a third.

The situation left viewers torn, however, as some responded to the above tweet, questioning whether the scene had been cut short in the editing process, making it look like Linda's response was shorter than in reality.

"It had to be the editing because I saw that and couldn't believe it," wrote one fan, to which another responded: "I truly hope so because neither could I."

"She seemed totally uninterested in what she had said when she opened up to her like that but she was negative [with] her conversation to him prior to the wedding also. Hoping it was editing," added another Married at First Sight fan.

Newsweek has contacted a representative for Married at First Sight for comment.

Elsewhere on the episode, contestants Airris and Jasmine also tied the knot, despite Airris' cousin's concerns about him taking part in the Married at First Sight process.

Fallina, Airris's cousin, had told him that she thinks him signing up to the show is "over the top" and that she thought he should leave before getting married.

Married at First Sight, produced by Kinetic Content, airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Lifetime.