The Biggest Age Gaps On 90 Day Fiance
"90 Day Fiance" is one of TLC's top-rated shows, and it's easy to see why. The drama-filled series (not to mention the 18+ spinoff series) centers on the question: Can love defeat all odds? The odds, in this case, involve two people who have fallen in love but who live in different countries. The couples must navigate long-distance romance and go through the process of securing a visa if they want to have their happily ever after.
Now, if things usually worked out swimmingly for the couples on the show, it's unlikely the ratings would be as high as they are. What makes "90 Day Fiance" so compulsively watchable is that there is always some sort of "catch" in every relationship, including situations like overly filtered photos not matching up to one's real-life photos, cheating scandals, double lives — and, quite frequently, shocking age gaps. Below, we'll go over couples with the largest age gaps on "90 Day Fiance."
Debbie Aguero and Oussama - 43 years
With 43 years between these "90 Day Fiance: The Other Way" alums, they take the title for the largest age gap in "90 Day" history. They may also take the title of one of the strangest and most dysfunctional relationships on the show. Though they initially connected over their shared love of art and poetry, it became clear that they had different intentions and ideas about their relationship — maybe due to that whopping age gap?
Despite the red flags, 67-year-old Debbie packed her bags to start a new life with her 24-year-old beau in Morocco. Their relationship was serious enough that Debbie met Oussama's parents, who accepted their unconventional relationship. But things took a left turn when Oussama revealed that he wanted to move back to the U.S. with Debbie so he could work and make more money. This came as a shock to Debbie, who batted away her loved one's worries that Oussama was just in the relationship for financial gain.
Ultimately, Debbie had to walk away from Oussama. After their breakup, Debbie said to Oussama (per ET Online), "You're making everything about a visa. I'm making everything about a life. ... The most important thing and the most sacred thing is marriage and love. ... Love can conquer anything but you don't have enough strong love for me to accomplish a life here."
Pat Hickman and Sam Javed - 40 years
On season one of "90 Day Fiance UK," we see Pat Hickman, 66, connect with Sam Javed, 26, on Facebook. The two spent nearly two years talking online before they made plans to meet up, bonding over their Christian faith and other similarities. And though they have a large age gap, this wasn't a problem — at least for Pat. "He's my toy boy," Pat said on the show. "I do have a free spirit. I still feel the same as I did when I was in my 20s, actually. Nowadays you can do what you want at any age."
The unlikely pair planned to meet in person for the first time on a vacation in Greece, with Pat traveling from the UK and Sam from Pakistan, but Sam dropped out of the plan at the last second. At this time, it's unclear whether Pat and Sam are still together or not.
Mark Shoemaker and Nikki Mediano - 39 years
Mark Shoemaker and Nikki Mediano are a memorable "90 Day" couple for a few reasons: Mark famously banned Nikki from touching his car windows in a controversial season three episode; Nikki, who was nineteen when she and Mark began dating, was also younger than all of Mark's adult children. Another major thing that sticks out about this couple? Their ages: Mark and Nikki have one of the largest age gaps in "90 Day Fiance" history, with 39 years between them. When the two met, Mark was 58 years old, while Nikki was just 19.
The couple met online and Mark quickly decided to visit Nikki in the Philippines. After two days of spending time together, Mark proposed — with a zip tie. Despite the unconventional ring, Nikki said yes, and the two began the 90-day marriage visa journey, with Nikki coming to live with Mark in Maryland. There were a lot of bumps in the road, and viewers were concerned with Mark's controlling behavior. Somewhat unsurprisingly, the couple filed for divorce in 2022, but according to Yahoo!, the divorce was dismissed in 2023. The grounds of the divorce were adultery on Nikki's part, but Mark told In Touch (via Yahoo!) that that wasn't completely accurate. "WE ARE NOT DIVORCED!!!" Mark wrote in an exclusive email to In Touch (per Yahoo). "WE ARE NOT SEPARATED AND NEVER WERE!!! OUR MARRIAGE IS NOT DISSOLVED!!!" Okay, then. Wishing Nikki the best!
Big Ed Brown and Rosemarie Vega - 31 years
Big Ed is notorious for a lot of things, including pursuing Rosemarie Vega, who is 31 years younger than him. When the two met online, Big Ed was 54 years old, while Rose was 23. When they met for the first time in Rose's home country, the Philippines, the two connected despite some ups and downs — including Big Ed's fear of bugs and rodents. "There's no indoor plumbing and I'm a germaphobe and I have to sleep with air conditioning because I, you know, I just kind of sleep hot. So it was hot. It was humid. It was rainy. There were bugs," he told Fox News.
Although their large age gap didn't appear to be an issue for Rose or Ed, it was definitely a problem for Ed's daughter, Tiffany, who is six years older than Rose. Big Ed told Fox News, "The hardest thing through this whole process was the effect that this had on my daughter. ... And so she took it really hard. We stopped speaking. I didn't talk to her for, you know, four weeks. I was, however, able to reconnect at the airport before I left for the Philippines. So that was a nice, wonderful surprise."
Sadly, Big Ed and Rosemarie couldn't make things work, and the two broke up while Ed was in the Philippines. According to them, what ultimately broke them up was their disagreement regarding having children, not their age gap.
Mahogany Roca and Ben Rathbun - 30 years
Ben and Mahogany met online, and viewers of "90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days" had the opportunity to watch their romance play out onscreen. When this couple met, Ben, an ex-pastor, was 52, while Mahogany was 22 -– though she lied and told Ben she was actually 24. The age difference didn't appear to be a major issue for this pair; on the show, Ben said that, despite the large age gap, "It honestly feels like Mahogany is my soulmate."
The two bonded over their shared faith and communicated online for several months, and overall, it looked like a promising bond was forming. However, there were some clear issues early on, the major one being Mahogany's refusal to video chat with Ben, claiming she was too shy. Eventually, when Ben finally sees Mahogany in real life, it's clear she had been heavily editing her photos. Things continued to go downhill when Ben visited Mahogany in Peru; Ben suspected Mahogany of lying to him about her past, and Mahogany's father adamantly disapproved of the couple's large age gap. These days, it appears the couple is still together, since Ben has "Mahogany" and a heart in his Instagram bio, but aside from this, they keep their relationship pretty quiet.
Sean Hiler and Abby St. Germain - 27 years
This "Before the 90 Days" couple had an age gap of 27 years, with Sean from Ohio at 47 years old and Abby from Haiti at just 20 years old. As is the usual case on "90 Day Fiance," this couple met online. Sean traveled to Haiti to meet Abby, and despite some jealousy issues, it appeared the love between these two was genuine, despite their differences. At the end of the show, Sean even proposes to Abby, and Abby says yes.
Unfortunately, that's where the good news ends. The season one couple broke off their engagement in March 2018, and apparently, a big reason for the split was due to "90 Day Fiance" fans bullying Abby in person (per In Touch). These days, it looks like Abby has found love with a new man (via In Touch), while it remains unclear what Sean has been up to since his time on "90 Day."
David and Annie Toborowsky - 24 years
David and Annie are a season five fan-favorite duo whose relationship has been relatively low-drama compared to what you usually see on "90 Day Fiance." And unlike many other couples on the show, they did not meet online; in fact, they have an adorable meet-cute story.
When David was traveling in Thailand, he stopped at a bar. "I happened to hear someone singing and it was like the voice of an angel," he said (per In Touch). Enter: Annie. "I offered to buy her a drink and we started talking. And we went from there." Though David is 24 years older than Annie, the years between them don't appear to be negatively impacting their relationship.
The couple dealt with some financial issues and a bit of backlash from David's daughter due to the age gap, but overall, it seems like their love for each other is genuine and strong enough to weather the storms. These days, they've upgraded to a nice home in Fountain Hills, Arizona, where David is focusing on improving his health while also working with Annie on their business, which involves importing dresses from Thailand.
Michael Ilesanmi and Angela Deem - 22 years
Angela Deem and Michael Ilesanmi may have one of the most infamous relationships in "90 Day Fiance" history — cue Angela throwing a cake in Michael's face outside of a hair salon while visiting him in Nigeria — and the couple shares a 22-year age gap. Angela was 54 when the two met while Michael was 31.
Their age gap honestly seemed to be the least of their problems. Between cheating allegations against Michael, Angela's temper, and the couple's inability to conceive children, they had a lot stacked against them. And while it makes for great TV, it undoubtedly put a strain on their relationship: "With Michael's lying and all, and all the stuff I just found out, I don't think he's ever loved me," Angela told host Shaun Robinson (per Yahoo!) after the couple split up in January 2023. "I think he loves me 'cause everything I've done for him, but he can't tell me why he's in love with me." But according to an insider, the drama wasn't enough to keep them apart, as they are apparently back together, as of March 2023.
Laura Jallali and Aladin Jallali – 22 years
The 22-year gap between this couple wasn't the only major difference between them. When the two met, Laura, who is Canadian, was 51, while Aladin, from Qatar, was 29. On "90 Day Fiance: The Other Way," we see the cracks in their relationship forming early on: Laura is immediately insecure in her relationship with Aladin, feeling hyperaware of her age; she also accuses Aladin of cheating and using her for money. Despite the drama, the two got married nine days after meeting in July 2018.
Their marriage ended shortly after, in October 2019. While Laura claimed on the tell-all episode that Aladin left suddenly (per Meaww), Aladin revealed that their divorce had been a long time coming. On his Instagram, he wrote that he was "catfished. Plain and simple. When Laura and I met online, she shared photos that portrayed her to be much younger than she is. Her photos, as I discovered later, were highly edited." He went on to explain that Laura also lied about her age and told him she was ten years younger than she actually was, and while he tried to make things work, he ultimately pursued a divorce. With all the drama that came with their short relationship, it seems like this couple may be better off without one another.
Rebecca Parrott and Zied Hakimi - 21 years
Rebecca Parrot, 49, and Zied Hakimi, 27, are a memorable "90 Day Fiance" couple for a few reasons: first, the cultural differences that led to many explosive arguments; second, a big secret on Rebecca's part; and lastly, that 21-year age gap.
Rebecca also used filters on her photos to make herself look younger, which made things a bit awkward when she and Zied met for the first time. However, they quickly moved past their differences and settled into their relationship, with Zied moving to the States with Rebecca. Since their time on the show, their love for each other seems to have continued to grow, with Zied recently posting a photo of him and Rebecca on his Instagram with the caption, "It seems that everyone knows you turned a year older except me. In my eyes, you are exactly the way that you were when I met you for the first time, stunning and gorgeous. I LOVE YOU BIKOU Happy birthday my baby." We're happy to report they're still married to this day!
Michael Jessen and Juliana Custodio - 19 years
Though this season seven couple's 19-year age gap is somewhat small compared to other "90-Day" age gaps, it proved to cause problems in the relationship. As Juliana Custodio, 23, became a part of Michael Jessen's family, she seemed to take on many household duties, with some viewers believing Michael, 42, was treating her more like a nanny than an equal. Other viewers didn't trust Juliana's motives, believing she was dating Michael for financial reasons.
This "90 Day" couple were married for nearly two years, but they divorced in 2022, with Michael writing in a since-deleted Instagram post, "Our marriage is a Covid-19 casualty that will not be showing up in any statistics" (per People). Juliana wrote back to Michael in a now-deleted Instagram post (per People), "I wasn't part of the family anymore, I was feeling like a maid. It was toxic to the point I was not living the life I wanted to live."
Since the divorce, Juliana has found love with a new partner, Ben Obscura, and has even welcomed her first child with Ben. In a recent Instagram post, she shared a selfie of herself, her partner, and her child, writing, "My family, my everything, my heart is full." As for Michael, his Instagram suggests he's spending plenty of quality time with his family as well.
Jesse Meester and Darcey Silva - 18 years
Ah, Jesse and Darcey. This may have been one of the most strange and dysfunctional pairs on "90 Day Fiance." From Jesse's subtle manipulation and seemingly narcissistic tendencies to Darcey's extreme emotional outbursts and excessive drinking, this duo seemed cursed from the very start. With an 18-year age gap between them, it's possible that they just had too many differences to make things work.
This chaotic couple appeared in season one of "90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days" in 2017. Their relationship was loving at times but mostly tumultuous, culminating in a dramatic break-up episode in 2018 in which Darcey, 42, throws a shoe at Jesse, who was 24 at the time. After the split, the two did not remain friendly, with Jesse accusing Darcey of cheating and Darcey accusing Jesse of the same. Despite their explosive breakup — or perhaps because of it — both Jesse and Darcey have continued to be featured in TLC shows, including "Darcey & Stacey" and "90 Day: The Single Life."