Many 90 Day Fiancé viewers have painted Debbie Johnson as a monster-in-law, but it seems that she was simply looking out for her son Colt Johnson's best interests. The 69-year-old mom first appeared on season 6 of the show, alongside Colt Johnson and Larissa Lima. During her time on the show, Debbie had several explosive fights with Colt's ex-wife, for various reasons. Most viewers perceived Debbie as someone who didn't consider Larissa a real daughter-in-law. However, in light of how things turned out, Debbie was always right about her son's lack of compatibility with his ex.
Unfortunately, Debbie's quarrels (and interference in Colt's love life) may have permanently soured their relationship. From the beginning of her debut on the show, she has shown disdain over her son's relationships with different women, sparking multiple feuds. Colt is considered a mama's boy, but lately, he has been busy being a husband to his current wife, Vanessa Guerra. Since he has a spouse, it is hard for Debbie to accept that her son wants to be independent, and finally live with his wife rather than his mother. This sudden shift in the mother-son relationship had caused many 90 Day Fiancé fans to think that Debbie was always controlling and manipulative.
Debbie gets a lot of flak for interfering in Colt's life, but it seems like she doesn't deserve most of it. She was first painted as a monstrous mother-in-law when Larissa came into the picture. According to the TLC Twitter account, the trouble started in 2019, when Debbie shared her first big concern by calling out her former daughter-in-law for spending "whatever money she has on nails, clothes, and makeup." As it turns out, she was right to alert Colt about Larissa's materialistic behavior. Viewers shouldn't blame Debbie for showing concern about her son's well-being. She was merely trying to save Colt from falling in love with someone who didn't really care about him.
Some 90 Day Fiancé viewers also called out Debbie when she was bothered about Larissa's interest in Colt's money. As fans now know, she was right, and the signs were obvious from day one. When Larissa told Colt to get a $2000 same-day air ticket, it was clear she had very unrealistic expectations about money. Additionally, the fact she said, "Baby, you are American so you can do it," was another red flag that she was a gold-digger. On 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?, Larissa asked Colt for "$1 million" and said, "I just want to money. Money, money, money, money." Hence, it is hard to blame Debbie for being annoyed by Larissa and trying to break her son's relationship, which was surely doomed anyway.
The biggest reason why Debbie isn't a monster-in-law is her behavior towards Colt's current wife, Vanessa. She seems to be a good friend of her new daughter-in-law, which implies that she just wanted the best for her son. Debbie loves Vanessa and Colt, even after they disrespected her by getting married secretly. While their marriage made Debbie feel alienated, she always thought the best of her son. She was a little sad when Colt asked her to move out, but she probably understood her daughter-in-law's perspective. 90 Day Fiancé fans may now know that Debbie just wanted a happy love life for Colt, and doesn't hold a personal grudge against his exes.
Source: TLC/Twitter