Michael Ilesanmi is Not the 90 Day Fiancé Angel You Thought He Was
The mild-mannered contestant many fans loved early on is far from ideal as a spouse.
Since 2014, TLC's hit reality show about Americans marrying foreigners has been a ratings juggernaut, largely owing to the riveting stories of the couples featured on the show.
Among these, the unexpected duo of Angela Deem and Michael Ilesanmi from Season 7 stands out as one of the most prominent, with a 20-year age gap and intriguing dynamic providing ample fodder for intense drama.
While Angela tends to attract the lion's share of fan criticism compared to her seemingly mild-mannered husband, Michael isn't the angel many thought he was. The more we get to know him, the more he reveals a darker side to him.
Their online romance took flight when Michael started flirting with 52-year-old Angela after falsely claiming he was 40 when he was, in fact, only 31. While he eventually confessed his real age once their wedding plans had been set in motion, fans remained perturbed by the fact he had initially lied, clearly in a bid to boost his appeal to ‘his mark’ and improve his chances of getting American citizenship.
Though the show often portrays Angela as the one mistreating Michael, regularly lashing out and showing apparent disinterest, the reality of their relationship might be considerably more complicated than that. Michael has admitted to infidelity during his time in Nigeria, which likely left Angela feeling vulnerable, insecure and predisposed to sudden outbursts of anger.
Compounding the matters, Michael defiantly attempted to establish a fake account when Angela prohibited him from opening new social media accounts after he professed his love to a woman via Instagram direct messages. When Angela discovered this, he audaciously demanded that she pay him $5,000 if she wanted him to take it down.
This made fans brand him a con artist, as it now really looked like he was taking advantage of Angela for her financial resources and American citizenship. When all is said and done, it’s increasingly looking like Michael is not really interested in Angela but only in what he can get through her.
While Angela's irksome personality challenges fan sympathy, it's becoming apparent that Michael isn't quite the innocent party he initially appeared to be.