Executive Producer Matt Sharp On Why ’90 Day Fiancé’ is the Most Diverse Show on Television

Awards Daily talks to 90 Day Fiancé executive producer Matt Sharp about the reflective politics of the show, gender norms, and why the TLC series has remained so popular.

While the national divorce rate in the United States hovers around 50 percent, for the couples on 90 Day Fiancé, the success rate is more than 70 percent. Executive producer Matt Sharp attributes this to the relationships on the documentary series taking a different level of effort.

“If you’re falling in love with someone in Brazil, it takes a lot to get there and a lot of barriers,” says Sharp. “The heartbeat of the show is about love. This shows the incredible lengths people go to find the one.”

Now in Season 9, 90 Day Fiancé has featured people from 51 countries, adding 6 new countries in this latest cycle.

“We feel like this is the most diverse show on television. We’re super proud of the casting process.”

And while casting for the series in 2014 started with outreach to immigration lawyers for connections, now people are knocking down their door to be on the series.

“We know Americans are falling in love with foreigners. This is a new frontier. Americans are saying, ‘I can have a relationship with someone halfway around the world.’ Their stories are authentic.”

The TLC show isn’t just a series about love, but it’s also a docuseries that shows how difficult it is to bring someone into the United States. After all, when the foreign significant other arrives for 90 days, once they decide to take the plunge and get married, they aren’t allowed to work for a while, adding pressure on the American spouse to provide and also leaving the foreign spouse without any form of independence.

“I’ve never thought about it as a political show. In Season 9, the show is a reflection of what’s going on in the world and in America. We just wanted to tell stories about couples in love. This was our first season emerging from the pandemic. They’re dealing with a lot of the same hardships through the lens of love.”

There’s also the issue of assimilating to a different culture. In the latest season, Mohamed, who is a Muslim, won’t let his girlfriend Yvette be alone with a man in the house due to his beliefs. Meanwhile Kobe, who’s from Cameroon, doesn’t want his baby mama Emily breastfeeding in front of him—or at all anymore for that matter. Does the show also speak to how gender roles different across cultures?

“One of the really interesting takeaways is the gender roles and expectations. In some countries, they’re different than ours and you question, ‘How is this gonna play out? We’re not used to these roles.’ The scope and scale of the show is so informative.”

After nine seasons, Sharp believes the longevity and popularity of the show is due to a couple of reasons.

“First and foremost, this was an unseen world. Technology allowed us to open it up in a different way. Also, no one had covered love like this. It’s an authentic journey. And we’re in the front row.”

Plus, there’s also the element of hope and seeing risks pay off. For the hundreds of airport arrivals he and the 90 Day Fiancé team have witnessed, they never get tired of it. Of course there’s always the prospect of disaster, but seeing the happy ending makes it all worthwhile.

“It’s so rewarding when you see someone take a leap of faith and it works out.”

90 Day Fiancé airs on TLC.