“Married at First Sight”’s Shawn Best Says His ‘Wifely Duties’ Comments ‘Were Never Okay’ (Exclusive)
“Married at First Sight”’s Shawn Best Says His ‘Wifely Duties’ Comments ‘Were Never Okay’ (Exclusive)
Yamillah Hurtado, Deirdre DurkanFri, August 28, 2026 at 12:08 AM UTC
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Nikki Jefferson and Shawn Best on ‘Married at First Sight’Credit: Peacock -
Married at First Sight‘s Shawn Best addresses the controversial remarks he made toward his partner Nikki Jefferson and admits he was in the wrong
“The truth is, saying those words was never okay,” he tells PEOPLE
The Married at First Sight finale premieres on Peacock on Aug. 27
Married at First Sight season 20 star Shawn Best is taking accountability for comments he made to his wife Nikki Jefferson earlier in the show.
Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE ahead of the show’s Aug. 27 finale, Shawn addresses the controversial remarks he made during his conversation with Nikki about progressing their relationship toward physical intimacy. In their conversation, Shawn told her that filling a husband’s needs is part of being a wife.
“The truth is, saying those words was never okay. It’s never okay to put someone in a pressure situation,” he says. “From my mentorship and my big brothers and my friends that I’ve been trained up around, it’s never okay to go at a pace that’s different than your wife’s pace or a partner’s pace.”
Nikki Jefferson and Shawn Best on ‘Married at First Sight’Credit: Jim Bennett/Peacock
Shawn explains that there were moments in that conversation that were not aired, and being intimate with one another felt like the “next progression” in their relationship. But ultimately, he says he knows the words he chose in that specific moment were “terrible” and “not the right words.”
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In the 10th episode of the reality dating show, Shawn and Nikki are having a heart-to-heart conversation about their relationship and where they want their relationship to be by Decision Day. Nikki tells Shawn that she feels hopeful about a future with him, but she still needs more time before she is ready to be intimate.
Later in the episode, Shawn tells Nikki that he has “increased desire” when they have a good night together and asks her if she would be open to being intimate without having sex. Nikki tells him she isn’t ready to “unlock” that part of their relationship.
Shawn tells her, “If you don’t want to, I understand. But to me, that’s also part of showing up as a wife, like noticing your husband has a need and filling that need at some point.”
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Nikki Jefferson and Shawn Best on ‘Married at First Sight’Credit: Mat Hayward/PEACOCK
At the end of the episode, Nikki confronts Shawn about how his earlier comment made her feel, saying that she was caught off guard by how quickly he wants their relationship to progress toward intimacy.
“I’ve said this whole time that I want to move slowly and be friends first, and sort of progress in a way that feels natural. And I think you’ve been meeting me there, but the comment that stuck with me is, you said something to the effect of it’s a wifely duty, and you also said that you need a release,” she says. “So framing a suggestion of us performing more sexual acts as a wifely duty– that comment made me uncomfortable, and it made me feel pressured.”
In response, Shawn says that he’s “literally not thirsty” and didn’t mean to be disrespectful, saying, “I would never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever say it’s your wifely duty to please me given the fact that we met less than three weeks ago.” He goes on to say that the way Nikki has characterized his remarks was “ridiculous.”
Now, Shawn says he understands how his words came across and wants to hold himself accountable for their impact
“I want to take accountability for that because I do believe that a lot of women have been in that situation before,” Shawn explains. “I have never been told that I put pressure on someone before to go faster than the pace that they were comfortable with. But I do also think that this was a higher-stakes moment, and it’s really got a lot of implications and outcomes that could be really negative for that.”
“For every wife out there and every person who’s a partner, or a female, or a partner to whoever you love, please always go at your own pace and express that to your partner,” he says. “Know that this part of my journey happened for me on purpose so that I can now be part of aiding and healing in relationships to help people figure out how to communicate more effectively.”
Season 20 of Married at First Sight is available to stream on Peacock.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
