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90 Day Fiance Stars Who Lied About Their Past – The List

In the world of reality shows revolving around dating in the modern era, none are quite as awe-inspiring as “90 Day Fiance.” Executive producer Matt Sharp set out to create a reality show that involved individuals navigating their more obscure love lives. Inspired by a magazine article, Sharp took the concept behind international romances and used it to develop the franchise we adore today. From its conception in 2014, the show’s popularity was hard to ignore as it quickly became TLC’s highest-rated show — resulting in numerous spinoffs such as “90 Day Fiance UK,” “90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days,” “90 Day Fiance: The Other Way,” “The 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After,” and much more.

At its core, the show follows a string of international couples who are given K-1 visas to visit and marry their significant other within 90 days. Though the brief overview alone doesn’t cover the bizarre scenarios one may see during the show, its premise almost always sets itself up for disastrous outcomes. 

Since the couples are usually on different continents, the necessary context of one’s life may be kept a secret to save face. Everything from white lies about their appearance to dark secrets regarding criminal charges may come to light when each couple meets face-to-face — making for cringeworthy scenarios that we can’t look away from. To learn more about these heavy-duty bombshells, here is a list of “90 Day Fiance” stars who lied about their past!

Jihoon Lee kept his living situation under wraps from Deavan Clegg

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Appearing in Seasons 1 and 2 of “90 Day Fiance: The Other Way,” couple Jihoon Lee and Deavan Clegg didn’t exactly have the cleanest relationship. After meeting on a dating app, the two grew fond of each other, resulting in Jihoon flying from South Korea to meet Deavan in the United States. Through spending their first night together, Deaven got pregnant and eventually gave birth to Taeyang in 2019. While their relationship wouldn’t be perfect from the start, it all came to a head when Deavan decided to relocate in hopes of building a life with the father of her child.

Despite the events that transpired in Season 1, Deavan didn’t move to South Korea until Season 2. This decision came after several conversations with Jihoon regarding their livelihood in the foreign country. From promising financial security due to his alleged high-paying job, Deavan quit her job and sold her belongings to fund the move to Korea. 

Unbeknownst to her, Jihoon lied about his financial status. In addition to his massive credit card debt, he revealed to Deavan that his job as a part-time delivery man wasn’t enough to feed his family. “Jihoon admitting that he’s not financially ready for us to come to Korea is devastating, because he told me everything was fine,” Deagan stated in “90 Day Fiance: The Other Way.” “But he lied to trick me into coming, and that’s not okay.”

Yohan Geronimo misled Daniele into thinking his ex-wife had a miscarriage

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Debuting on “90 Day Fiance: Love in Paradise,” New Yorker Daniele Gates met Yohan Geronimo during a trip to the Dominican Republic. What appeared to be love at first sight saw the pair quickly make plans to build a future in the United States. It became apparent that the two never meshed well as their wants interfered with their relationship. Though Daniele wasn’t always as truthful as she appeared — like her purposefully not filing for Yohan’s spousal visa just so she could live in the Dominican Republic — their long-winding trust issues only amplified when Daniele discovered a frightening detail from Yohan’s past.

In Season 4 of “90 Day Fiance: The Other Way,” Yohan’s past slowly crept up as he revealed some information regarding his previous relationships. Since the two had conversations about having children, Yohan informed Daniele about his ex’s miscarriage. However, this appeared to be a lie. 

When the international couple met with Daniele’s friend, Yohan revealed that his ex had an abortion, not a miscarriage. This caused her to question just how honest Yohan has been about his past. “You did not say that they terminated the pregnancy,” Daniele stated (via People). “Those are two different things. Neither of them make me upset or angry with you. What makes me angry with you is the fact that you lied about it.”

Hamza Moknii fabricated his age to Memphis

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From initially meeting on a dating app, Memphis Smith built a strong relationship with her Tunisian partner, Hamza Moknii. So strong that it resulted in the two getting married within eight months of knowing each other. Despite his “nice guy” persona through text messages, their ill-fated relationship became concerning when Hamza moved to the United States. Though the two have since broken up, family members from both sides never shied away from expressing how incompatible the two were. Even Memphis saw an ever-so-apparent red flag far before the pair built a life in the United States.

In Season 5 of “90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days,” Memphis flew to Tunisia to meet Hamza for the first time. Aside from his not-so-pleasant techniques in the bedroom, Memphis learned from his family that Hamza has been lying about his age. “Earlier, Hamza’s sister and I are having a conversation, and she happened to say, ‘Yeah, Hamza is three years older than me,'” she said on the show. “So I said, ‘How old are you?’ She’s like, ’23, and Hamza is 26!’ I thought that Hamza recently turned 28.” 

This resulted in Memphis confronting her soon-to-be husband on the matter. Despite his apologetic mannerisms, she was seemingly frustrated for being lied to. “So you lied. And we had plans to what, go to the embassy tomorrow and do marriage papers?” she exclaimed. “Now, I don’t know how I feel about that because you lied.”

Geoffrey Paschel hid his prior criminal charges from Varya Malina

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While some of the bombshells on the “90 Day Fiance” tend to be somewhat reasonable to work through, others tend to be quite scary. In Season 4 of “90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days,” we were introduced to Geoffrey Paschel and Varya Malina. After meeting his Russian beau on a dating website, the Knoxville resident flew to Russia, where he proposed to his girlfriend. The spontaneous gesture, however, was to no avail, as Varya declined this offer. While it may have seemed like Varya had cold feet, there was a good reason why she wanted to wait before committing herself to Paschel.

In the episode “Stranger in a Strange Land,” Varya expressed the importance of embracing your origins. Through this, she showed Paschel around her hometown to strengthen their bond. In turn, this prompted Paschel to talk about his past. Outside of Varya’s childhood school, Paschel briefly opened up about his time in jail for “selling drugs.” 

According to In Touch, the ex-convict referenced his arrest in 1997 for multiple counts of possession of controlled substances. As shocking as it must’ve been to hear this, Varya then asked several hard-hitting questions about why he decided to take that route as a young adult. Despite his apologetic attitude, Varya suggested that if she had known about his arrest before his departure to Russia, they wouldn’t have been an item.

Ricky Reyes kept his previous relationship a secret from Ximena Parra

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Season 2 of “90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days” introduced us to Ohio resident Ricky Reyes and Colombian-born Ximena Parra. Through speaking online, Ricky found himself boarding a plane to her country. At first, his romantic gestures appeared to be harmless. As the two spent time with each other, a few red flags began to show themselves throughout his time in Colombia. Accidentally calling Ximena the wrong name didn’t make his trip any better, as it led to a tell-all sit down where Ximena confronted her American beau about his past.

Initially, Ricky came to Colombia to meet a girl named Melissa. After a not-so-pleasant outcome, he contacted Ximena in hopes of striking up a meaningful romance. In Season 2, Episode 8, Ximena revealed that the fact he kept this a secret made her feel “betrayed” and “stupid.” While questioning his ulterior motives, Ximena asked Ricky if his relationship with Melissa went further than just a dinner date, to which he responded, “I didn’t do anything with her.” 

Although she was angry at the ordeal, she eventually forgave him as the later episodes rolled around. She even accepted his proposal — with the ring he initially bought for Melissa, mind you — and they ended the season engaged to each other.

Sumit Singh lied about his appearance to Jenny Slatten

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Lies told on “90 Day Fiance” know no bounds. Whether it be their age, financial status, or even past relationships, there is almost always some shroud of mystery over specific individuals on the show — even their entire physical appearance. In true “Catfish” fashion, Season 1 of “90 Day Fiance: The Other Way” introduced us to Jenny Slatten and her Indian love, Sumit Singh. Though their romantic venture together was littered with lies and deceit — such as Sumit’s hidden marriage — Jenny showed great disdain for the more unforgivable red flag that showed itself early on.

In 2011 — after getting out of a 15-year-long marriage — Jenny suddenly got a friend request on Facebook from a man named Michael Jones. Appearance-wise, it seemed too good to be true, as the photos on his Facebook page showed a guy with every perfect attribute you could think of. In an episode of “90 Day Fiance: The Other Way,” Jenny revealed that while she was skeptical, she continued to engage with the user — growing more fond of his sense of humor and warm personality. 

Things took a turn, however, when it was revealed that Michael Jones was actually Sumit Singh. Although revelations like this may derail one’s relationship, Jenny disregarded the initial lie about his appearance and moved to India for a chance at love.

Jorge Nava exaggerated how wealthy he was to Anfisa Arkhipchenko

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Season 4 of “90 Day Fiance” introduced us to Jorge Nava and his Russian girlfriend, Anfisa Arkhipchenko. From meeting on Facebook, the two struck up an online relationship, which later saw Anfisa leave Russia to start a life with her fiance in the United States. However, it seemed like the glaring possibility of a love life blinded Jorge from foreseeing the impending doom of their relationship.

Before relocating to the United States, Anfisa made her interest in money apparent, prompting Jorge to lie about his financial status. While shopping for an engagement ring, Anfisa noticed that Jorge wasn’t willing to shell out over $100,000 for an engagement ring. “Jorge and I need to have a talk about money,” she stated on the show. “He made me a lot of promises, and now I’m here, and he’s not coming through.”

Jorge later revealed that he was not as financially stable as he claimed and stated that he was $30,000 in debt. Despite the initial deceit, their relationship would spiral for years to come, causing the two to split up in 2020. In a 2021 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Jorge declared that there’s no harbored resentment for how their relationship turned out. “I really don’t have any hate towards her or bad feelings … because whatever I went through has given me what I have now,” he said. “I don’t have any regrets.”

Ed Brown’s many lies about his life

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Given the several cringeworthy stars on “90 Day Fiance,” none were as memorable as Ed Brown. Whether it be his unfunny dad humor, his perceived heart of gold, or his relatable attempts at love, Ed quickly became a household name after debuting in Season 4 of “90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days.” 

Due to his stardom, however, many of us may have forgotten that he had several instances where he lied on the show. His well-documented relationship with his lover from the Philippines, Rosemarie Vega, started on a bad note when he revealed that he’s been keeping his height and disinterest in having kids a secret. Though they each have one child from previous relationships, Rosemarie made it clear that she wanted kids in the future. Unfortunately, Ed ignored this and got a vasectomy despite Rose’s desire to have a family together. This ultimately became the catalyst that separated them in 2020.

Ed found himself swimming in lies again after appearing on “90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After.” His on-and-off relationship with Liz Woods hit a turning point when text messages to Rosemarie were revealed during Season 7’s tell-all segment. Rather than admitting to the cheating allegations, Ed made jokes and gaslit Liz into thinking he’s the honest person he says he is. After the big reveal, host Shaun Robinson asked for Liz’s thoughts about the entire ordeal, to which she responded, “I’m tired of all the lies.”

Danielle Mullins’ long string of financial issues

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When it comes to falsified claims of financial stability, Danielle Mullins takes the cake. In Season 2 of “90 Day Fiance,” we were introduced to the Ohioan and her Tunisian lover, Mohamed Jbali. After meeting in an online chat room, Mohamed flew to the United States to be with his soon-to-be wife. Despite his alleged love for Danielle, things seemed off as his disinterest in being intimate with his partner became apparent. Throughout, we’d see background information make its way into the light from Mohamed’s end — like his false claims of having a job. But none were as crippling as Danielle’s financial debt and criminal record.

Leading up to their wedding day in Season 2, a string of concerns regarding their finances came into play. After their cellphone services were suspended, Mohamed later learned that Danielle was backed up on bills. Furthermore, Mohamed also learned about her previous run-ins with the law. In 2004, Danielle was found guilty of writing a bad check, and in 2005, she was found guilty of misdemeanor theft (per Starcasm). 

Danielle told Starcasm that this resulted in her being on “intensive probation for two years.” The unwanted news of their financial situation rightfully made Mohamed angry with how his venture in America was going. Despite their lingering issues, Mohamed and Danielle eventually got married only to divorce in 2017.

Michael Ilesanmi’s numerous accusations of infidelity

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In many ways, Michael Ilesanmi and Angela Deem somewhat felt like the Ronnie and Sammi of “90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days.” After meeting on social media, the two started a relationship that saw Angela fly to Nigeria to meet her lover face-to-face. This venture would be strenuous due to Angela’s severe trust issues. Although her more aggressive approaches seemed unreasonable, she certainly had justifiable reasons, as Michael later proved himself to be a serial cheater on numerous occasions.

Despite his lighthearted personality, Michael’s first instance of infidelity came in Season 2 of “90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days,” where it was revealed that Michael was cheating on Angela well before they got married. The string of alleged infidelities didn’t stop there as the show continued to showcase the arguments they had regarding his numerous lies. As if preventing him from using social media and forcing him to sleep in the car weren’t enough, the Nigerian was caught yet again by Angela’s friend. 

During the Season 7 finale of “90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After,” Angela was given voice messages Michael sent to a woman he was talking to for at least two months. “He broke my heart,” Angela stated while holding back tears. “Like, he really broke my heart.”

Paul Staehle’s ‘lengthy’ criminal past

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If you’re familiar with “90 Day Fiance,” then you are most likely aware of the infamous scene of Paul Staehle running away from the cameras. Despite it being doused in awkwardness — and laughability — the scene came after a pretty severe revelation. Season 1 of “90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days” introduced us to the Kentucky resident and his fiance, Karine Martins, who lived in Brazil. His awkwardness quickly became apparent, but it was clear that Paul felt strongly about their relationship. So much so, it caused him to unveil some dark secrets from his past.

In Season 1, Episode 10, Paul told Karine that he has a “lengthy criminal record.” The criminal record he was referring to happened to include charges he racked up from 2007 to 2014, which consisted of second-degree arson and violation of a Kentucky emergency protective order/domestic violence order in 2013 (per Starcasm).

Paul proceeded to run away from the cameras after stating that Karine didn’t deserve “damaged goods.” Given the shocking revelation, Karine decided to stay alongside Paul. Although the two went on to get married, in 2021 they both filed (and dropped) restraining orders against each other, followed by months of custody battles. In April 2023, In Touch reported they may have gotten back together.