Jeremiah Fisher cheated on Belly. There. I said it. It happened.

It was disappointing, it was hurtful, and it was wrong. But here's the thing: it happened while they were on a break and most importantly: it never happened again.

This isn’t about defending cheating. It’s about asking a real, fair question: why is cheating only unforgivable when it’s Jeremiah?

Because across The Summer I Turned Pretty, nearly every major character has cheated in some way. Belly? Cheated on Jeremiah in Season 1, physically and emotionally.

Conrad? Cheated on Nicole with Belly while still doing couple-y things like kissing, hanging out constantly, and emotionally stringing her along. If she was the heroine, Conrad would be way worse than Jeremiah is in some Bonrad fans. Taylor? Cheated. Steven? Cheated. But the last two are forgiven because they cheated on their significant others with each other right? Because it's the "perfect" ship. All of them are excused. Why? Because fans like them.

But Jeremiah? Nah. One mistake, made in the middle of heartbreak and when he was wasted out of his mind, and it’s character assassination time.

I want to clarify that cheating is not okay. But neither is double standards.

Because what the fandom does with Jeremiah isn’t just unfair, it’s just lazy. It’s punishing a character based on a half-picture, on your favorite ship’s narrative, while ignoring the full truth. And recently, I’ve come across some perspectives, a lot from comments online, that made me pause and rethink how we even define cheating in the first place.

The Gray Area: Was It Even “Cheating” the Way People Frame It?

Was it cheating? Or was it something worse?

I was watching the break-up scene on youtube, because I'm pathetic like that, so I decided to scroll through the comments. There was one comment under the video that made me stop. They way Jeremiah's night with Lacey is framed is interesting: he was drunk out of his mind and all of it was extremely hazy. This is a very niche take and I'm sure the show writers didn't intend that, but if you focus on the dialogue it almost reads as SA.

Now, I don’t personally believe it was sexual assault. Jeremiah was drunk out of his mind and clearly not in control. Everyone knows in that state you are not in the mindset to make clear choices. And Lacie kept pushing. She was "all over his [censored]" as his friend described. To me, personally, it didn't read like a consenual moment.

And the key point? He says it happened twice, but the implication from the dialogue is that it happened on the same night. Then he sat in the shower and cried for who knows how long.

It’s a gray zone. And it’s not talked about enough. If a female character described an experience with that same language, blackout drunk and someone nudging them until it happened, we’d instantly be more careful with our interpretation. But because it’s Jeremiah, people gloss over it. Treat it like a “gotcha” moment.Edit from the future: A perfect example of this is the Lizzie and Pierce situation in Releasing 10 by Chloe Walsh.

So it’s not as black and white as “he cheated because he wanted to.”

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The Break vs. the Betrayal (And the Convenient Double Standard)

Let’s break it down. Jeremiah hooked up with the same girl twice while on a break.

It’s immature. It was a boy acting out of hurt after Belly told him they were over. He made a mistake, and more importantly: he sincerely apologized for it.

The same way Conrad apologized to Nicole for stringing her along. But where’s the mercy for Jeremiah?

Let’s not forget: Belly kissed Conrad multiple times while she and Jeremiah were emotionally (and publicly) building something. They kissed, repeatedly.

They acted like they were already a couple and everyone around them thought so too. But Jeremiah takes one hour to process that his mom is dying and isn’t there for one dance, and suddenly it’s a green light for Belly to switch lanes without signaling?

Also, they weren't a thing when it happened. If you look at the break-up scene, it very clearly is a breakup! Not saying it's okay since they've been together for so long, but I wanted to clarify what it is.

It’s not just the physical cheating either. Belly emotionally cheated on Jeremiah during their engagement. She shaves her legs twice to impress Conrad.

She picks her outfits for Conrad. She stares at him like she forgot whose ring is on her finger (please no more ring slander, way to kick a boy when he's already down). That's emotional cheating. Intentional care for someone else's gaze.

Image Credit: Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

If cheating while on a break is irredeemable, emotionally cheating in a relationship, in an engagement, while actively pretending to love someone else, is so much worse. Yet somehow, that’s romanticized. It's fine because it suits the ship you want.

The same thing for Conrad when he was with Nicole. Did he not almost kiss her? People love to say, “Cheating is cheating,” and they’re not wrong. But where is that same outrage when Belly kisses Conrad while still emotionally entangled with Jeremiah, after kissing him multiple times?

Jeremiah’s mistake was labeled a moral failure. Everyone else’s? Nothing, since you already rooted for them.

Both boys are flawed and they both hurt Belly. But only one is being crucified for it.

“He Strung Her Along—But He Apologized.” So Did Jeremiah.

One of the most common defenses of Conrad’s cheating is, “He strung Nicole along, sure, but he apologized sincerely and acknowledged it.” Okay. Fair.

But Jeremiah did the exact same thing. He told Belly he was wrong. He apologized.

Apparently, apologies only count when they come from Conrad.

They Were Broken Up Even Jenny Han Thinks So

Here’s another thing the fandom loves to pretend didn’t happen: they were broken up. Not “on a break,” not “arguing,” not “taking space.” They were literally broken up.

One YouTube comment said it best:

“They were broken up right? He wanted to break up, she asked for confirmation, he confirmed, and then she confirmed. How is he SUPPOSED to know that wasn't real?”

I agree. How was he supposed to know? He broke up, she asked for confirmation, he confirmed, she agreed. That’s a break-up, not a pause.

Even Jenny Han herself, the author of the books and executive producer of the show, said:

“I think that Jeremiah did think that they were broken up. I think she didn’t. But even if they were broken up, I think it would be very hurtful if your partner of several years and someone that you’ve known your whole life, then hooked up with somebody else like a few days after broke up, that still isn’t great.”

It isn’t great. No one’s saying it was. But even the creator agrees. It was a break-up. And if one person in the relationship walks away thinking it’s over, can you really hold them to the expectations of someone who thinks it isn’t?

This isn’t to dismiss Belly’s feelings. Of course it hurt. Of course it felt like betrayal. But it’s also not fair to expect Jeremiah to live by feelings she never expressed. If the relationship was over in his eyes, and she agreed to that, then it’s cruel to call what happened behind her back “cheating” with the same weight as someone who intentionally crosses a boundary while knowingly still together.Being with someone so soon after you break is WRONG, but I don't think it classifies as standard cheating either.

The “He Only Liked Her After Conrad” Argument Is So Weak It Needs a Protein Shake

People love to say that Jeremiah only noticed Belly once Conrad did, as if he was trying to compete. But watch the show again. Jeremiah and Belly were best friends.

You ever read a slow-burn romance? The kind where one day, your favorite person laughs, and your heart stutters, and suddenly, you see them?

His moment of realization was the fireworks scene. And no, he shouldn’t have interrupted that almost-kiss. But that jealousy was his clarity scene.

It wasn't wanting to be with Belly because his brother wanted that too, but it was finally ovious to him. Their feelings for each other were muddling and that was his realization. That was the moment he realized he loved her. Not because Conrad did but because Belly had been right there the whole time, and he finally saw her in that way. The feelings between them had been muddling, but that was the moment of realization.

FYI you don’t date someone for four years just to spite your brother.

Image Credit: Photo by Jingda Chen on Unsplash

Jeremiah Was the Sunlight in Her Storm

Let’s zoom out. With Conrad, Belly was always anxious. Always second-guessing.

Always crying. There’s this narrative that angst = depth, and sure, it feels deep. But it also feels like drowning. I'm not saying he didn't make her happy, but he made her feel so confused throughout season 1 and season 2.

With Jeremiah? She was happy.

She sang. She radiated. Their love wasn’t built on “what if” tension, it was built on knowing each other and actually liking each other.

He made her feel chosen. He never made her beg for attention.

And the argument that she was only “happy” with him because their relationship wasn’t “deep enough” and she didn't care enough? Ridiculous.

The Real Villain? Selective Memory

If you’re going to hold Jeremiah’s mistake against him forever, fine. That’s your right. But then let’s not forget that Belly cheated, too.

Conrad cheated. Taylor and Steven cheated. It doesn't matter that they cheated with their partners, because we already love "Staylor" so it's automatically forgiven.

All of them were “problematic” at some point. But fans forgave them because they liked them.

Jeremiah? He wasn’t perfect. But he loved her and grew from his mistakes.

He deserved a fair shot. And he didn’t get one. The show writers didn't give him one.

My Final Thoughts

Jeremiah made one mistake during heartbreak and confusion. He took accountability. He wouldn't have repeated it again.

He was the safe choice, not because he was boring, but because he was kind. Consistent. Present.

If that isn’t enough in a world that glorifies angst, then maybe the problem isn’t him.

Maybe the problem is what we think love is supposed to look like.