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Colt Johnson has always been a controversial figure on the 90 Day Fiancé franchise. His tumultuous relationship with his ex-wife, Larissa Dos Santos Lima, and his extremely close relationship with his mom, Debbie Johnson, fascinated viewers from the beginning.

But Colt’s most recent onscreen relationship, with his Brazilian ex-girlfriend Jess Caroline, turned him (in some fans’ minds) from a quirky character to one of the show’s “villains.”

On Part 1 of the Sept. 27 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After Tell-All on TLC, hosted by Shaun Robinson via video chat, Colt admitted to sending explicit photos to other women while he was dating Jess. But it was his sarcastic repetition of the word “sweetheart” to refer to his ex-girlfriend that made some fans’ skin crawl.

Colt Johnson
Colt Johnson | Bryan Steffy/WireImage

Colt told Jess he didn’t think she ever loved him

On the 90 Day Fiancé Tell-All, Robinson asked Colt how he felt about Jess now, 10 months after their breakup.

Colt kept it light and casual at first. He said simply that the relationship was “over,” adding that his ex-girlfriend “might as well be a stranger.”

But when Jess chimed in to accuse Colt of being a liar and a “terrible” boyfriend, Colt’s gloves came off.

The 90 Day Fiancé star launched into a tirade against his ex, saying, “You wanted to change me. You wanted to change the way I lived, the way I looked, everything about me. You didn’t love me, and that’s fine, but don’t act like you were the best girlfriend.”

When Jess insisted that she had loved Colt, he retorted sarcastically, “What did you love about me, sweetheart?”

Colt called her the pet name twice more in the conversation – even when Jess revealed that Colt had sent multiple pictures of his crotch to random women while he was still in a relationship with her. Colt admitted to doing so. Still, he attempted to blame it on Jess, saying he wasn’t getting enough “affection” from her at the time.

Many fans thought the nickname was condescending and belittling

Immediately, fans took to social media to call Colt out on trying to blame his choice to send “d*ck pics” to other women on his ex-girlfriend. But, in addition to lambasting him for refusing to take accountability for cheating, 90 Day Fiancé fans couldn’t handle his sarcastic pet name for Jess.

“Colt saying SWEETHEART,” one disgusted Reddit user commented. “I wanna punch him in the face.”

Another Redditor claimed Colt was “disrespectful” and “condescending” during his exchange with Jess, arguing that the use of a term of endearment to put down his ex made it all the more frustrating to watch.

“That soft serial-killer voice, the befuddled look, and then ‘sweetheart’…God, he’s gross,” they wrote.

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Others thought it was a manipulative ploy and a ‘power play’

In addition to sounds like nails on a chalkboard, many fans thought Colt’s sarcastic nickname was part of an overall attempt to get control of the situation – especially because his admitted infidelity made him look bad. Not only did Colt admit to hitting on other women online while dating Jess, but he also revealed that he had had a sexual relationship with Vanessa Guerra, despite having told his ex-girlfriend that they’d only ever been friends.

“That was an attempted power play to belittle her,” a Reddit user argued of “sweetheart.” “Didn’t work, though. Just made him seem like an even bigger jerk than he is.”

Others thought the 90 Day Fiancé star’s anti-Jess tirade was part of an attempt to distract viewers, and his fellow cast members, from his own behavior.

One Reddit user even thought Colt was “gaslighting” Jess by trying to make her feel at fault for his online behavior with other women.

“Colt is so gross, and a gaslighting a**hole,” they wrote. “I wish TLC would do away with him since he’s just a hanger-on at this point.”

“He is so cringe and you can see the toxicity from a mile away,” another fan agreed.

Many other viewers simply wanted to know how Colt had managed to break the hearts of not one, but two women in such a short period of time. Previews for Parts 2 and 3 of the 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After Tell-All reveal Larissa confronting Colt about his alleged cheating during their ill-fated marriage.