90 Day Fiancé Stars Who Have Been Open About Their Sexuality
The "90 Day Fiancé" franchise is all about meeting and maintaining the love of another person across the globe, but not all the hopefuls have a traditional view on relationships. The series features the often messy lives of opposite-sex couples but sometimes the stars use their platform to reveal that they're LGBTQ+, which isn't always easy for them. Coming out on national television is particularly hard when the "90 Day Fiancé" stars never know how their parents or significant others will respond to them.
In 2020, TLC became more inclusive by introducing its first same-sex couple in "90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days," Stephanie Matto and Erika Owens. While fans were excited to see what could have been a great television moment for the LGBTQ+ community, unfortunately, Matto and Owens' relationship was a dud and viewers called out their storyline as fake. However, they did pave the way for another same-sex couple and along with the now-exes, many other cast members have been brave enough to be open about their sexuality.
Sophie Sierra struggled to tell Rob Warne that she was bisexual
Sophie Sierra's relationship with Rob Warne was full of red flags, and one of them was a secret she had been holding in — that she is bisexual. During "90 Day Fiancé" Season 10, she had to tell Warne before they got married. As she sat him down, Sierra had trouble getting the words out. "It's a difficult thing to come out and I know I'm not gay but it's like, it's still my sexuality so it feels kind of the same as like, it's such a personal thing and it's like, you never know how someone's going to take that," she told the cameras in a clip shared by "90 Day Fiancé." Unfortunately, Warne's reaction wasn't the warm and open one the native Londonite was probably hoping for. "I don't even know what to say to that," he told her.
Fortunately, Sierra got a better response from her mom when she opened up about her sexuality. "Who cares?" her mom said after learning that was the reason her daughter and Warne were fighting (via E! News). Sierra shared that she had known she was bisexual for years but only came to terms with it recently. The only thing her mom was upset about was that she didn't come to her about it sooner. "It makes me sad that she's been worrying about this for so long," she stated in a confessional.
Jasmine Pineda shocked Gino Palazzolo with her crush
Jasmine Pineda and Gino Palazzolo's relationship was full of very little ups and a lot of downs, which was why it was surprising when they got married. It seemed the Season 5 couple of "90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days" was on the rocks again when during the reunion, Pineda revealed she had a crush on Nikki Exotika while her husband was right next to her, per the Daily Mail. "I mean, I have had girlfriends in the past so I get attracted to women as well as men. I don't know, I've always had a crush on Nikki," Pineda shared. She then added, "Hypothetically, if I was Nikki's partner, I would f*** her."
It's unclear if Pineda and Exotika ever explored their mutual crushes, but the self-proclaimed "Million Dollar Barbie" shared a tribute to her friend on Instagram. "Im so happy you're one of my closest and BEST friends, you are so0o Beautiful with a gorgeous face, amazing body and genuine soul. Im so grateful to have met you and have you in my life," she wrote. In one of the pics, Pineda and Exotika are seen locking lips. However, Pineda and Palazzolo are still together, as she posted their wedding picture in June 2024. "Happy anniversary my dearest husband," she captioned.
Gabriel Paboga opened up about being trans
"90 Day Fiance: The Other Way" introduced the franchise's first trans person, Gabriel Paboga. As reported by People, he detailed his struggle growing up in a girl's body and feeling like he didn't belong. "My cousin had a friend that dressed like a boy. Once I found out that girls can wear boy clothes, I started with basketball shorts and I just wore [them] every single day," he told the cameras. It was when he turned 22 and discovered that he could transition that his life changed. After meeting his then-fiancé Isabel Posada, he immediately told her that he was trans, which she accepted unconditionally.
Paboga's coming out didn't just help fellow trans viewers, but their parents as well. He revealed to E! News that after his season, parents of the LGBTQ+ community contacted him. "A lot of mothers come to me and they say, 'My child is trans and, because of you, I'm not too afraid of the future that they have. Because you live a normal life,'" he stated. It wasn't easy for Paboga to put his sexuality out there and he was initially afraid of being so open about his gender-confirming surgery, but he has received a lot of love from viewers since his time on the show.
Stephanie Matto and Erika Owens were the first same-sex couple in 90 Day Fiancé
Stephanie Matto and Erika Owens made history when they made their debut as the first same-sex couple in Season 4 of "90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days." In an interview with the New York Post, Matto revealed, "We are treading uncharted waters. Erika's my first serious female relationship. I identify as bisexual, and I've always been attracted to women but I've only had public relationships with men." Revealing how they first met, Owens, who is seen in this Instagram post, explained that she had reached out to Matto on social media. She shared, "I was super drawn to her energy ... Plus, obviously, she's gorgeous." The two were in a relationship with men at the time, but once both couples ended, it was fireworks for Matto and Owens.
Matto had dated women before but never told her family that she was bisexual, which would have been revealed in the reality show. "A lot of people might wonder why did I decide to do it now and on television? It's pretty crazy, but I'm a pretty crazy person. I felt like this was like ripping the Band-Aid off, like, the ultimate coming out. You can't back out now, you just got to do it. You got to jump right in," she told Us Weekly.
Kenneth Niedermeier and Armando Rubio's road to marriage wasn't easy
Kenneth Niedermeier and Armando Rubio were the first gay male couple to be featured in "90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way," and their relationship was one of the sweetest ones in the franchise. It didn't come without its challenges, though. Rubio didn't feel supported by his mom after he and Niedermeier got engaged on the show. "Her telling me that she would have preferred I told her in private shows me that she's still struggling with it. I think in some ways maybe she feels embarrassed that I'm gay. She needs to learn how to accept me without worrying what anybody says, thinks, or who is around," he told the cameras (via People).
Rubio's dad was also uncomfortable with him being gay and it was unsure if he would even show up to the wedding. However, Rubio wasn't left disappointed. "It really was the last minute that we knew my dad was going to show up. So, it was quite a surprise, a pleasant surprise. And since then, things went slow, but things have gotten a lot better," he shared with E! News. Niedermeier also had some good news. "Me and his dad have really become buddies. From the first time he met me, he wanted to punch me out, I think and we've really come a long way. We're just a family now," he stated. Surprisingly, the "90 Day Fiancé" divorce rate is lower than you'd think – and Niedermeier and Rubio are still going strong.