Warning! The following contains spoilers for the 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way episode "No Hard Feelings?." Watch the episode on TLC or with a Max subscription, and read at your own risk!
When 90 Day Fiancé first introduced Sean and Joanne, they immediately became my favorite couple of The Other Way Season 6, despite the massive problem they had in revealing to their respective children and families that they weren't just together, they were married. I bought the story initially, but now, after the latest episode, I'm beginning to doubt this marriage is as real as it can be.
Just how real is Joanne and Sean's marriage? We'll get into it here thanks to some investigations from fans, as well as a clue from the latest episode. It wouldn't be the first time 90 Day Fiancé has faked a storyline or stretched the truth for entertainment, but I'll let the reader decide if that is happening here.
Joanne Was Very Tactful In Answering Her Son's Question About The Marriage
As painfully awkward as the marriage reveal scene to their children was, I couldn't help but clock something fishy about the way she answered the questions of her eldest son, Joey. When he asked for specifics about the marriage and if they were legally married with all the documentation and such, Joanne just said, "We're married."
It might've been just a way to squash questions for now or to assure him it's all set in stone, but I couldn't help but feel there was something off about her response. Of course, as soon as alarm bells went off in my head about the statement, I stumbled across another viewer who had the same suspicion that something is up with the couple's impromptu marriage.
Apparently, Getting Legally Married In Ireland As A Foreigner Is Not As Simple As Some Would Think
Not long after I heard that conversation, I stumbled upon a Reddit thread started by a 90 Day Fiancé fan who had firsthand experience getting married in Ireland. A foreigner can't just get married at the drop of a hat in Ireland, apparently, and it's a months-long process with several government appointments needed.
Additionally, assuming this is a legal marriage, then the rules of Joanne being granted residency and freedom to travel back and forth between Ireland and the United States are complicated. If the marriage was done legally, and her sons decided not to live in Ireland, getting back home to them would seemingly not be as free and open as just hopping on a plane and returning at any time she wants to do so.
What's The Real Situation With Sean And Joanne?
Sean and Joanne's storyline as it's told, paired with the information on legal marriages in Ireland, has me questioning what is going on with these two. I think there is one of two possibilities on what the real story is between these two, and it's not fully being told on 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way.
I think the first and most obvious scenario here is that Sean and Joanne are "spiritually" married. This is to say they might've gotten rings and had a ceremony and are acting like they're a married couple but haven't gone through all the paperwork to legally set it in stone. That would explain away some of the more complicated questions about this storyline but kill a bit of the drama if they're not as married as they say.
Another possibility is that Sean and Joanne did have a legal marriage and went through all the hoops, but given the amount of time that Joanne would need to take abroad for that to happen, it seems unlikely her entire family and children would be in the dark about what happened. Could this entire revelation scene just be a show for the camera and everyone was in on it?
90 Day cast member Tiffany Franco once said that the only scripting that occurred was them setting up scenes and asking the cast to discuss uncomfortable subjects. Based on that, I would assume that maybe the first scenario is true and that Joanne and Sean do consider themselves married but may not have done all the legal paperwork to make it official. Presumably, they would do all that provided she can convince her sons to move to Ireland, if that still ends up being their plan at the end of the season. Hopefully, this isn't another 90 Day couple that will split after marriage, regardless of whether it's legally recognized.
90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way airs on TLC on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Be sure to check out the 2024 TV schedule after this episode, as it'll be a long wait to see next episode and how all the children feel about this marriage that they've been left in the dark in until recently.
