90 Day Fiancé star Ed “Big Ed” Brown hints that he may be leaving the TLC franchise once his contract expires at the end of the year during an exclusive interview with In Touch.
“I’m up for grabs in December,” Ed, 59, tells In Touch about the status of his contract while attending the 11th Annual American Reality Television Awards on Monday, November 18.
Ever since Ed made his reality TV debut during season 4 of 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days, he has become a fan favorite on the show. While he’s featured several relationships on the franchise, Ed says he may possibly retire.
“I don’t know. I’ve had too much fun in the last five years. It’s helped me in every facet of my life except for relationships,” he says. “So I eventually want to pull away where I can really have a serious relationship that’s not on TV.”
Ed also reflects on how his life has changed since he made his reality TV debut. “I had 350 followers on Instagram. Nobody knew who I was, but the next morning I had over a quarter of a million and my phone wouldn’t stop ringing,” he recalls. “So, it was literally overnight.”
Ed’s first season aired in 2020, and he says that the show’s popularity increased “when COVID hit” and it went “viral.”
“I became the number one trending [star]. I became the number one streaming meme in the world for four weeks. I’m known in every single country throughout the world, which kind of freaks me out,” Ed shares. “It’s really crazy. I was just in Argentina, I was in Brazil, and as many people that know me in the states knew me there.”
“For me, it’s unfathomable. I never thought I would ever be … I was an innocent guy that met a girl in the Philippines, never heard of the show, bought a ticket, posted that online and it changed my life forever,” he adds, referencing his failed romance with ex Rose Vega.
While Ed has experienced many perks during his time on the show, he admits that there are opportunities he regrets missing out on. “I’m under contract with TLC. I’ve got offers from Netflix and Hulu that I couldn’t pursue because I’m under contract,” he revealed. “There [have] been several.”
After Ed and Rose, 28, called it quits, he continued to appear on the franchise during 90 Day: The Single Life. During season 2, Ed met Elizabeth “Liz” Woods and they began a tumultuous on-off romance. Ed and Liz, 32, went on to appear on several of the spinoffs, and their split was documented on season 8 of 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?
The exes got into a heated argument over taco pasta, which Liz said was “too spicy” for her daughter, Ryleigh. Ed argued that Ryleigh, 11, needed to “stop being a baby,” which led the pair to get into a heated fight.
Following the argument, Ed revealed that he chose to call off their engagement without talking to Liz first. “I’m not angry at Liz,” he explained during the April 21 episode. “I’m just realizing that we’re not meant to be together. I’m at a different stage in my life, and I can see clearly that it’s not gonna work — that Liz needs to go live her life, and I need to live mine.”
