You’ve seen the TikToks. You’ve seen the blurry paparazzi shots from the streets of New York. Honestly, if you blinked during the middle of Love Island USA Season 7, you might have missed why everyone is suddenly obsessed with TJ and Iris. It’s one of those reality TV stories that feels like it’s been running on a loop for months, mostly because it has.
Thomas John “TJ” Palma and Iris Kendall didn’t just meet on a TV show; they became a sort of case study in "what if" scenarios. On screen, their connection was fast. It was heavy. Then, it was gone—ripped away by a brutal elimination that left Iris sobbing in Fiji and TJ heading back to the States way too early.
But as we now know, the end of the show was basically just the prologue.
Why the TJ and Iris Reunion Shocked the Fanbase
When TJ was dumped in Episode 27, it felt final. Iris eventually coupled up with Pepe Garcia-Gonzalez. They made it all the way to fourth place. They looked solid. During the reunion in August 2025, Pepe and Iris were still a thing, even if they were being a bit cagey about labels.
Then everything broke.
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By late August, rumors of Pepe cheating started flying around. He denies it to this day, but the damage was done. They unfollowed each other on Instagram, and suddenly, those old photos of Iris and TJ hugging—captured by TMZ the very night she landed back in the US—started to look a lot less like "closure" and a lot more like a foreshadowing.
The New York Fashion Week Turning Point
If you were waiting for a sign, September 15, 2025, was it. The two showed up at the Luar show during New York Fashion Week hand-in-hand. No "just friends" vibes here. Iris was in a daring white cropped blazer and micro-shorts; TJ was in monochromatic black. They looked like a couple that knew exactly what they were doing to the internet.
They followed it up with a joint Instagram post. The caption? A simple heart-stamped envelope emoji.
What’s Real and What’s Just for the Cameras?
Look, people are skeptical. They always are. Some fans on Reddit have pointed out that TJ’s social media activity during the time Iris was with Pepe was, well, a little intense. He was posting Snapchats with subtle hints—like a photo of a woman's hand holding a pickle where the nails looked exactly like Iris's manicure.
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It’s easy to call it a PR stunt. Especially since they are currently filming Love Island: Beyond the Villa Season 2.
But there’s a layer of history here that’s hard to ignore. Jeremiah Brown, their costar, actually went on the red carpet at the inaugural U.S. TikTok Awards in December 2025 and leaked some tea. He admitted he helped TJ set up the moment he asked Iris to be his girlfriend. According to Jeremiah, they were already "cutesie" and hanging out constantly long before they made it Instagram official.
The Timeline Most People Forget
- Fiji (Summer 2025): TJ and Iris couple up after Casa Amor. TJ is voted off shortly after.
- The First Meetup (July 2025): TMZ catches them hugging in NYC right after Iris returns from filming. Iris tells People it was just for "closure."
- The Split (August 2025): Iris and Pepe break up amid cheating rumors (which Pepe denies).
- The Hard Launch (September 2025): NYFW debut and the "officially coupled up" posts.
- The Confirmation (November 2024): A romantic Malibu sunset photoshoot with a 1959 Chevy Corvette. Iris captions it: "Officially coupled up ❤️."
Dealing with the "Red Pill" Allegations
It hasn’t been all Malibu sunsets. TJ has faced a lot of heat online. Some fans dug through his social media follows and found links to "red pill" content and certain political leanings that didn't sit well with everyone.
There was even a TikTok from an ex calling him a "pathological liar," though that’s largely unverified gossip.
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The internet is divided. One side thinks TJ is a "man who yearns" and finally got the girl he deserved. The other side thinks Iris is out of his league and worries about his views on women. It’s a messy, nuanced situation that goes beyond just "who is dating who."
What Most People Get Wrong About Them
A lot of people think Iris jumped straight from Pepe back to TJ in a heartbeat. Honestly, the timeline suggests they were talking while the reunion was still airing. Pepe himself called it a "cheating scandal" in an interview on the Sorry We’re Not Cyrus podcast.
Iris’s side of the story is different. She claims she was grieving the loss of her connection with TJ the whole time she was with Pepe. She felt her "only experience" in the villa was ripped away. Whether you believe that or not depends on how much you trust reality TV editing.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Follow-Ups
If you’re trying to keep up with the latest on TJ and Iris, here is the best way to navigate the noise:
- Watch Beyond the Villa: This is where the actual footage of their "re-coupling" and TJ’s big "girlfriend proposal" will likely air. It’s currently in production for Peacock.
- Check the Nails: If you’re hunting for "secret" updates on Snapchat or Instagram Stories, the fan community usually tracks Iris's nail sets to confirm if she's in the background of TJ’s posts.
- Verify the Sources: Be careful with TikTok "tea" pages. A lot of the drama involving Pepe was never actually proven, and much of the "red pill" discourse comes from deep-dives into following lists rather than direct quotes.
- Follow the Group: Often, you’ll find more info about them on Hannah Fields' or Jeremiah Brown’s social media than on their own, as the couple tries to maintain some level of "private" life amidst the filming schedules.
The bottom line is that as of early 2026, TJ and Iris are very much a couple. They’ve moved past the "closure" phase and into a full-blown relationship that has outlasted almost every other pairing from their season. Whether it stays that way once the cameras for Beyond the Villa stop rolling is the question everyone is waiting to see answered.