Although 90 Day Fiancé is a show that focuses on international romance, many cast members across the extended franchise have used their appearances to grow their social media followings. This has resulted in a number of the current 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? stars receiving a sizable boost in Instagram followers since season 6 began. As the franchise moves towards featuring drama and scripted scenes over genuine immigration stories and romance, more stars have sought to grow their followings and boost their online presence.
When it comes to growing followers, multiple factors influence growing numbers. Some cast members, such as Yara Zaya, have leaned in hard to growing their followings and it shows. However, other cast members, such as Mike Youngquist, don’t provide enough content to keep fans interested. Overall, more viewers tend to gravitate towards following the female cast members, while many of the female halves of couples are often more enthusiastic about their social media accounts. This has resulted in many of the current HEA women seeing a boost in their fan bases.
Viewers tend to follow cast members who present compelling narratives both onscreen and on social media. Of course, some cast members are accused of inflating their numbers by purchasing followers. Overall, the Happily Ever After season 6 cast has been receiving steady criticism. Viewers have blasted the Potthast storyline as being painfully scripted, while many couples, such as Angela Deem and Michael Ilesanmi, are heading towards a split. Nonetheless, the followings of many series stars have risen since the season started.
Yara Zaya: +98,000
Yara Zaya gained a whopping 98K followers since the season started, which boosted her Instagram followers from 261K to 359K. This ties Yara with Asuelu Pulaa for the fifth most-followed cast member this season. Though some viewers have called the glamorous new mom bratty, Yara has earned enormous popularity. Many women appreciate her fashion sense and are interested in her online boutique, even though the quality of her items has been questioned. Yara’s rising following demonstrates that she has a strong grasp on her influencer and reality TV fame and that she has achieved her teenage dreams of being wealthy and influential.
Jovi Dufren: +66,000
Yara’s star is not the only one rising, as her husband Jovi Dufren picked up 66K followers so far. Though he is the ninth most followed out of the Happily Ever After cast, hard-working Jovi saw his followers jump from 125K to 191K. Jovi and Yara have been labeled viewers’ favorite couple this season, as the parents of baby Mylah have changed up their journey from dating to marriage to new parents. Jovi has earned praise for his underwater mechanic job, which has led to him earning franchise supporters who enjoy seeing him mature from party boy to working dad.
Angela Deem & Michael Ilesanmi: +63,000
Angela Deem and Michael Ilesanmi saw their shared Instagram account rise 63K followers since the start of Happily Ever After? The couple has the third most followed Instagram profile out of the cast and grew from 590K to an impressive 653K. Their increase in followers has come at a steep cost, as many viewers are labeling Angela a franchise villain and calling to have her removed from the show. The wife of Michael has left fans bored with her plastic surgery journey and furious over the verbally abusive way she treats her husband. However, the couple continues to have interested fans.
Tiffany Franco Smith: +53,000
Tiffany Franco Smith is busy airing her dirty laundry with Ronald Smith, but she has also gained 53,000 followers. The fourth most-followed star went from 369K followers to 422K. Tiffany has seen herself become a franchise villain as she tries to ruin her husband’s reputation by constantly bringing up his past and sharing his messages. However, her followers continue to grow as Tiffany shows makeup content and messy drama.
Natalie Mordovtseva: +48,000
Natalie Mordovtseva rounds out the top five largest Instagram following growths, as she gained 48K followers to go from 150K to 198K. Viewers are watching as Natalie, like Angela, is pursuing plastic surgery and potentially divorcing her partner. The latest news puts Natalie and Mike Youngquist still together, though many viewers are doubting the strength of their marriage given their steady drama and numerous issues.
Asuelu Pulaa: +46,000
Asuelu Pulaa is now tied with Yara for the fifth most-followed cast member and the most popular man this season. The Samoan man gained 46K followers on Instagram, growing from 313K to 359K. Asuelu has been called a man-child and immature by many viewers, though he remains popular among fans. Asuelu’s marriage appears far more stable on social media than it does on TV, and the father appears happy with his wife, Kalani, and sister-in-law, Kolini.
Elizabeth Potthast Castravet: +44,000
Though she is the second most-followed female this season, Elizabeth Potthast Castravet didn’t gain as many followers as some of the other women in the cast. However, she picked up 44K followers to elevate her following from 624K to 668K. Libby has been called out by fans, as have her siblings Becky, Charlie, and Jenn. Many viewers consider the Potthast family to be chaotic and messy and have called for their drama to stop airing on TLC. However, Libby has still retained many followers.
Kalani Faagata: +28,000
Kalani Faagata may have only picked up 28K followers, but she is still the most followed cast member this season. The wife of Asuelu rose from 681K followers to an impressive 709K. This makes Kalani one of the most popular franchise cast members of all time. Kalani has become a beloved cast member to many who enjoy seeing her life on social media. The wife and mother appears far happier when she isn’t being filmed, which causes viewers to question if her storyline is scripted for views.
Andrei Castravet: +25,000
Andrei Castravet is the second most popular male cast member this season, and he has added another 25K followers to his Instagram account. The husband of Libby went from 250K to 275K followers despite many viewers calling Andrei out for his vulgar language and hotheaded behavior. Andrei is currently trying to get a reliable position in his father-in-law Chuck Potthast’s company. However, he first has to deal with Libby’s chaotic siblings.
Mike Youngquist: +25,000
Mike Youngquist is the cast member with the smallest overall following, though he gained 25K followers to move up from 55K to 80K overall. The husband of Natalie has received steady criticism for not supporting her in her fight with Mike’s mother, Trish. Mike ended up recently supporting Natalie during her nose job surgery, though many viewers consider the pair to be mismatched.
Brandon Gibbs: +24,000
Brandon Gibbs earned 24K followers to boost his count from 77K to 101K. The husband of Julia has been criticized for his intrusive and overbearing parents, Betty and Ron. However, Brandon has been praised for holding a steady job and finally finding an apartment for his wife outside of his parents' farm. Nonetheless, not as many fans are interested in keeping up with the couple as they are with other franchise favorites.
Julia Trubkina: +23,000
Julia Trubkina is the least followed female cast member this season, as well as the woman to gain the smallest following thus far. Julia earned 23K followers to elevate her fan base from 115K to 138K. The wife of Brandon has been accused of being bratty on multiple occasions, though many are rooting for her to get away from her chaotic in-laws and establish independence with her husband.
Ronald Smith: +11,000
Ronald Smith is the second to last most-followed 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? cast member this season. The husband of Tiffany only picked up 11K followers to elevate his following from 71K to 82K. Though viewers dislike Tiffany, many also consider Ronald to not be a good catch. The South African man is currently trying to get his life together so that he can be a financially stable husband and father.
90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? streams Fridays on Discovery+ and airs Sundays at 8 pm ET on TLC.