They certainly have one of the more tumultuous relationships of the series, and after his bombshell on February 25, 2024, everyone wants to know why Nikki and Justin broke up from 90 Day Fiancé, considering they were on and off for 17 years.
There’s a lot of content to consume in the 90-Day Fiancé universe. The original show follows couples who have received a K-1 visa, which is uniquely available to betrothed partners of US citizens. The Other Way is exactly what it sounds like—American couples who move to their partner’s home country. “It’s about love,” 90 Day Fiancé executive producer, Matt Sharp, told Gold Derby in May 2022 when asked what makes the TLC reality TV series so popular.
“Love is primal, but I think we tapped into a couple of things. One is that this show is incredibly authentic. I’m a huge lover of The Bachelor and that franchise, however, we were one of the first shows to actually tell real stories about ordinary Americans and their love journeys. Also, this show is about this journey with other cultures. When we launched this show in 2014, we were on the ‘love frontier’ of this whole new era of finding people all over the world.”
He continued: “This is the most diverse show on television,” Sharp asserted. “You can challenge me on it. We featured people from 51 countries at this point. We have subtitles. We have people that don’t speak the same language and have completely different cultures. We’re trying to tell unique stories every time and when we’re in the casting process we’re evaluating people based on their personalities, backgrounds and their stories, but also we just want to tell unique, fresh, interesting stories.”
In a shocking episode that aired on February 25, 2024, their relationship was seemingly over. Here’s why Nikki and Justin broke up from 90 Day Fiancé.
Why did Nikki and Justin break up from 90 Day Fiancé?
Why did Nikki and Justin break up from 90 Day Fiancé? Justin told Nikki that he made “sacrifices” to be with her and that he could “no longer continue” the relationship. In the episode that aired on Sunday, February 25, Nikki broke down in tears to a producer on the show after she returned to New York.
Nikki explained that she and Justin had gotten into a big fight a week prior and that it was over him not having a job. Nikki said she had been financially supporting him this whole time. In losing her temper, Nikki accused Justin of using her. They didn’t speak for a week, then Nikki received a text from him, which read:
“I compromised and sacrificed my own interests, shocking my parents and everyone around me, including my status and my dignity. However, continuing in this manner is no longer possible for me. I realized I need to take control of my life and rectify the situation. May you find a path to a worthy life filled with love and mutual attachment. Farewell, and I wish you all the best.”
Nikki said: “Like, I am so beyond broken right now. I never expected this would happen because I was planning my future with him. And I don’t know, like, how I’m going to get over this. The way he made me feel with this text message is the worst feeling ever.”
There have been telltale signs for months that they might’ve split. Their couple’s Instagram account—@reallifebarbieandken, where they shared loved-up snaps—has been deactivated. Previously, Nikki linked to the account in her bio, too, and that reference has disappeared. But they still follow each other so make of that what you will.
On the episode that aired on December 10, Nikki was ready to call it quits. “Before I get engaged with Nikki, I had some of like sex friend[s]. This is like physically needed stuff. Simple. And this is normal,” he said in a confessional, explaining his no-strings-attached before they were engaged. For Nikki, this was devastating. “We were already together. We were already talking. We were already going on vacations together,” she said. Justin countered, “We only talk[ed] about our plans.” It was enough to Nikki, who said: “I don’t know if there’s a future here, hon.”
17 years ago, Nikki and Justin met on a dating site in Moldova. Justin proposed to Nikki and ended up coming to the States on a K1 visa. Nikki had been holding back a secret and things took a turn when Nikki decided that Justin was not quite mature enough. The couple broke up and Justin returned to Moldova. “I traumatized him. And he went home and he was depressed for a really long time. And I felt bad about that. Justin and I kept in touch throughout the years. He had to go through things on his own and I had to go through things on my own,” Nikki explained.
