Fredrik Eklund and his husband, Derek Kaplan, from Million Dollar Listing New York seem to have a great marriage, but some fans are suspicious that Derek is with the affluent real estate broker for the wrong reasons. Despite Fredrik and Derek's success as a couple nearing their 10 year anniversary, fans are not sold on the purity of Derek's intentions. From Fredrik's career of selling million-dollar homes to Derek's low profile, here are the reasons why fans don't trust the Million Dollar Listing star's husband.
According to a story Fredrik shared on Bravo's website, his relationship with Derek has always been full of love. Fredrik and Derek first met in 2010 in Greece. Fredrik was 33 years old at the time and was overwhelmed with how beautiful he found Derek to be. The soon-to-be couple got to know each other by spending an entire week together in Greece. Over their first week with one another, Fredrik and Derek shared their pasts and ambitions for the future. The pair quickly realized they had a lot in common besides their mutual attraction. After Greece, Fredrik returned to New York and Derek went home to London. Fredrik clarified it wasn't always easy, "but it was amazing." Just like Fredrik's ambition to nab a $15 million home from MDLLA's David and James, Fredrik was determined to make his relationship with Derek work, and the couple got married on February 9, 2013, in the Florida Keys.
One reason why fans were skeptical of Fredrik and Derek's marriage from the jump was Derek's refusal to sign a prenup. One of the major disputes the reality television couple had on the series was whether or not Fredrik and Derek would form a prenuptial agreement. As fans of the series know well, Fredrik is one of the most successful brokers in New York City and beyond whose net worth is estimated at $30 million. Derek's career, on the other hand, is much less lucrative. Derek is a painter whose net worth is unknown but is undoubtedly overshadowed by his husband's. While Derek has made money off of his dream job as a painter, it is his spouse's work in real estate that afforded Fredrik his family's home in LA.
While Fredrik was trusting enough to abstain from placing a prenup, Derek's demands were the impetus for apprehensive fans to label the artist a gold digger. The additional disagreement Derek and Fredrik had before their wedding day was about monogamy, prompting some fans to believe Derek is not as invested in Fredrik as the real estate broker hopes. Nevertheless, Derek and Fredrik have gone the distance. It has been over a decade since the broker and artist met in Greece and the husbands are raising a pair of twins together, daughter Milla and son Fredrik Jr. Additionally, Derek's Instagram is full of posts celebrating his love for his real estate tycoon husband.
While fans might be skeptical of the foundation for Fredrik and Derek's marriage, the two appear to be doing just fine. Although the absence of a prenup and the couple's income disparity raises red flags for the most suspicious of the real estate broker's fans, the reality stars' 10+ years together suggests pair of fathers have found the loving relationship Fredrik was looking for in Greece. Although Fredrik is the superstar broker on Million Dollar Listing New York, Derek may have scored the biggest prize in this deal.
Source: Bravo, Derek Kaplan/Instagram