"The word atheist has been thrown around": Ready to Love star Donnah talks to Ed about the rumors around her

Ready to Love season 11's latest episode, "Soul Train & Soul Mates," premiered on Friday, December 5, 2025, on the Oprah Winfrey Network. It saw successful and single men and women from Detroit visit the home of the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin and prepare for a Motown party.

After a round of dancing on the disco floor with the stars dressed in flashy, glimmering dresses and carrying afro wigs, Donnah and Ed sit down to have a serious conversation, which mainly centered on clearing up a rumor that had circulated about Donnah being an atheist.

Donnah shared her thoughts on spirituality, adding that she wants to be understood after feeling misjudged and unsupported. She said:

"The word atheist has been thrown around. And I never said that I don't believe. And actually, I said the opposite of that, that I do believe in God."

Here's what Donnah and Ed talked about in the latest episode of Ready to Love season 11

The conversation opened casually in the latest episode of Ready to Love, after Ed and Donnah sat down after dancing. Donnah admitted she had been thinking about their earlier date and whether something she said had been misunderstood.

"I have wondered from the date that we had, if what I said about religion and spirituality was maybe misinterpreted by you?” She said in a confessional. “For some reason, some of the guys got the message that I did not believe in God, that I was an atheist.”

Donnah expressed how frustrating the whole situation has been in a confessional, stating that “the communication about her religious views has been really messed up,” adding that this confusion is making her question whether Ed truly understood her during their first conversation.

The scene then shows their previous date in Ready to Love, where Ed asked her if she and her family came from a religious background, to which she said:

"I don't think any of us is playing Christianity. For me, personally, I'm spiritual. There are a lot of people involved in this process and we are playing the telephone game at this point."

Donnah tells Ed that she had this conversation with just him and Devon, and she feels that the miscommunication happened with him, only adding that the word "atheist" has been said about her, which she has never claimed, further adding that she has told the opposite of that, and that she believes in god.

"I'm bringing it up because I want to make sure that you understand me. That’s what matters to me… I want to be understood more than anything else."

Ed listens, but as he says that Donnah is still on the journey, he realizes she is figuring out a lot of things. Donnah corrects him, responding firmly that she is not on the journey, but rather very grounded in what she believes.

Ed insists he understood her belief in God, saying, “I understood that you believed in God. You believed in a deity.” But mentions where their belief systems diverge, adding, “Our misalignment is Jesus, because Jesus is God.” Donnah acknowledges, “We may not be on one accord with that.”

The 40-year-old Tech Consultant then adds in a confessional:

"There’s a stalemate when it comes to alignment on religion. And I was just very turned off by that. And that’s not the kind of vibe I feel like I’m looking for when I’m looking for love. Based on the conversation between Donnah and I, Donnah’s a no-go."

Donnah, however, felt hurt and disappointed as she confessed that:

"I feel like I’m a little disappointed because there are too many misconceptions about me. I don’t feel secure. And I feel like I’m on a chopping block again."

As Ed has already made his decision, he tries to soften the blow, telling her that he feels she will find her right man with whom she will be on common ground.

Stay tuned for more updates.