The 90 Day Fiancé season 7 story of Michael Jessen and Juliana Custodio was initially thought to be odd by fans, for many reasons. Not only was Juliana half his age, but TLC viewers saw her as a classic 90 Day Fiancé gold digger. However, Michael and Juliana did prove the haters wrong, by getting married in their finale and then staying together. As with their intriguing love story, there’s a lot more to 90 Day Fiancé’s Michael than just being the “the old sleazy rich guy.”
A recent couple on the famous franchise that deals with international lovers and their K-1 visa journeys to the altar, Michael and Juliana met on a yacht in Croatia. Michael, who admitted that he didn’t believe in love at first sight, felt like he and Juliana Custodio were kindred spirits, although he was 43 and she was 23. Along with the sizable age difference that 90 Day Fiancé fans worried about, there was the fact that he’d also spent a sizable amount of dollars on his lady. Then, there was Michael’s ex-wife Sarah and two kids he shares with her. Sarah and the children live in Connecticut, very close to Michael. A shady prenup scene on the show got called out by Michael himself. He said TLC scripted it. Sarah officiated Michael and Juliana's wedding and also found Juliana genuine, after some suspicion at the start. All the visa complications, Juliana being a step-mom to two children in her early 20s, and her restarting her glam modeling career were handled with panache by the suave Michael, who’s now a clear fan favorite. So, who is 90 Day Fiancé’s Michael when the cameras stop rolling?
As described by Michael himself during his 90 Day Fiancé season 7 introduction, he’s a self-employed wine entrepreneur who’s “very independent.” The TLC star was born on 11 June 1977 and seems to have spent his life in Greenwich, Connecticut, where he currently resides. Michael’s mother is Dr. Barbara Jessen, whom he calls his “rock.” 90 Day Fiancé showcased his “two big commitments at home,” kids Max, 8, and Cece, 6. He shares custody of the kids with Sarah. Michael and Sarah were divorced two years before 90 Day Fiancé, and they maintain a very cordial relationship, living close together as a blended family. While Juliana and Michael had expressed an interest in starting a family by adopting her nephew and niece from Brazil, their plans were put on hold due to the pandemic. See Michael and Juliana below:
The 90 Day Fiancé star, who’s Buddhist as per his Michael Jessen Instagram, imports and distributes wines while working in the wine auction business and following “anything that’s cool” in the wine world. Michael claims this has led him to generate an “enormous amount” of income which allows him to have a lot of freedom in life. He owns “a couple of” beautiful sports cars and flaunts a huge collection of vintage guitars. Michael confessed that he travels a lot for work, getting to see places that he didn’t even know existed. That is how he met his wife Juliana. According to Gossip Gist, Michael worked as a wine investor for Zachy’s Wine Auction for a decade, before becoming the company's president and CEO for two years. Currently, 90 Day Fiancé’s Michael owns MJAC LLC, based in Greenwich, and Licataa Wines, which is described as, “the new standard of luxury.” Michael and Juliana can often be spotted on the Licataa wine (imported from Parma) Instagram page, posing and sipping away. See them below:
Back in March, Michael posted about working on “new projects,” and many fans assumed a reality show might be one of the new ventures. Will Michael and his love return to the 90 Day Fiancé franchise?
90 Day Fiancé airs Mondays at 8pm EST on TLC.
Source: Michael Jessen/Instagram, Gossip Gist, Licataa Wines/Instagram