Big Ed From ‘90 Day Fiancé’ Has Dropped Roughly 25 Pounds And Turned His Life Around

Oct 29, 2021 by apost team

The television series "90 Day Fiance" on TLC is a reality show that follows the lives of couples that have applied for, or received, a K-1 visa. This visa allows fiances of US citizens from other countries to move to America and marry their partners within 90 days. The show has been airing since 2014 and is currently on its eighth season.

The series is so popular that there have also been numerous spin-off shows created as well. These include "90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After," which follows couples from the original series after they've gotten married. "90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days" documents couples who've met online but are yet to start the K-1 visa process. While "90 Day Fiance: The Other Way" looks at couples where the American partner has moved to their partner's home country instead.

One popular participant from the series is "Big Ed" Brown. Brown is from San Diego, California and was engaged to Rosemarie Vega from the Philippines. They appeared together in season four of "90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days." Brown's season showed him traveling to the Philippines to meet Vega and her son for the first time. 

But while he was on the show, Brown faced many challenges. These included not having the support of his daughter Tiffany, being bullied for his appearance by the show's audience and eventually, he and Vega also decided not to get married.
 
Now in 2021, Brown is doing much better and has even lost some weight as he's embarking on a health journey. He uses the platform he has gained from "90 Day Fiance" to spread positivity, especially for other people who live with Klippel-Feil Syndrome, as he does. Keep reading to learn more and to see how Brown looks today.  

One of the challenges that have come up in his life time and again is Brown's appearance, which is due to having Klippel-Fiel Syndrome (KFS). The condition affects the development of bones in the spine, so as a result, Brown has a short neck. Since kids can be cruel, he has unfortunately dealt with bullying since he was a child. He told People:

"I was teased about my neck since I was 5 years old. People aren't comfortable when they see something that's not normal. But listen, you can also be different and embrace that, and not let it define who you are, and you can also laugh at yourself." 

While he's learned to live with the comments, unfortunately, Brown's time in the spotlight following his appearance on "90 Day Fiance" has meant that a whole new group of people has targeted him. Speaking with Channel24, Brown revealed:

"I've felt a range of emotions from having anxiety to being elated and then being brought to tears by people's mean comments. People have body-shamed and bullied me to the point where it made me cry. When the trailer came out in January, people started making fun of my neck, and body-shaming me, and putting my head on animals. Really just pure hatred.”

Bullying is never ok but in this day and age where anyone can hide behind a screen, it's unfortunately, more prevalent than ever. But despite getting such awful comments directed at him, Brown, who is now 56, has grown above it all. He uses his platform to advocate for good and by putting himself out there, he's also helped other people with KFS to feel less alone.   

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One example of the positive comments that Brown has received includes a story he shared in his interview with Channel24:

"I got a letter from a girl in South Africa, who is actually friends with Syngin from season 7 of 90 Day Fiance. She wrote to me saying that she is about to get married and she also has Klippel-Feil syndrome, which is when you're born with a shorter than average neck with limited movement and a bigger rib cage and shorter stature. I had been made fun of my whole life, and I told her what I've always told myself, and that is not for the condition to define you. God made you this way for a reason, and you're special in every way."

After receiving that letter, Brown focused on using his platform to help others. "I started sharing anti-bullying messages, and I've been able to create this positive platform which is something that I never thought that I would be able to do," he said.

But the reality star hasn't let negativity impact his success in life nor has he let his condition stop him from following his dreams. In June of this year, he shared a throwback photo to Instagram that gave a peek into his life during college. Pictured wearing a formal waiter's uniform, Brown is smiling into the camera, while the caption reads, "Where Big Ed the waiter began while in Architecture school..!"

A budding photographer, Brown studied at the New School of Architecture and Design where he earned a master's degree, specializing in fashion photography as well as photography for advertising, weddings and studio shoots. Brown's career as a photographer would enable him to travel the world.  

But Brown wasn't prepared for one of the challenges of appearing on the show, which resulted in a falling out with his daughter Tiffany. Brown had already been married once before and from that union, he had a daughter. Tiffany happens to be only six years younger than Vega.

Tiffany did not support her father's participation in the series and it caused a rift in their relationship. The disapproval of his daughter was very hard for Brown. People quoted him saying:

"My daughter and my ex-wife, they were '90 Day Fiancé' people. They watch every episode. So right away when I told my daughter, 'Hey I'm thinking about doing this show,' she's like 'You're an idiot.' And she hung up on me."

Opening up in an interview with Us Magazine, Brown revealed how hard it was when he didn't think he'd speak to his daughter again before boarding the plane to the Philippines, so he left her a video message:

“I basically said, ‘Look, if I never see you again, I love you.’ That was tough. It hurts when you’re happy and people in your life that love you are hurting. It’s not the same. I wasn’t gonna be able to be happy unless we were complete.”

Thankfully though, the two have now reconciled. He said in the same interview:

“I love my daughter. She is — and I say this with love and respect — a pain in the ass, just like her dad. Her mom tells her every day, ‘You’re just like your father,’ and we are. We’re very passionate about who we are. We’re very honest people. She’s a real estate agent in Las Vegas. She’s doing really, really well. She never gives up. She’s a fighter.”   

After meeting online and chatting for a few months, Brown was ready to embark on a trip to visit Vega in her native Philippines. He traveled with the TLC camera crew in tow to Vega's hometown of Caloocan. He spoke about how he came to be on "90 Day Fiance" in an interview with Screen Rant, revealing:

“It was incredible. I actually fell in love with Rose. I met her on social media, I bought a ticket and I posted that on Facebook and my buddy Richard who’s on the show sent me the link. I’d never heard of 90 Day Fiancé and I filled out the link. I filled it out like it was a lotto ticket. The next thing you know I’m on this reality show and I’m in the Philippines.”

That's when he experienced his newfound fame. He said that literally overnight people began stopping him in the street while he was on his Vespa. He added:

“I couldn’t even walk down the street or an airport without being berated. You know I love it too. I wouldn’t change anything although it’s changed my life in every facet. I kind of like where I’m at. It feels good.”

With Brown in the Philippines, viewers were granted a peek into his and Vega's lives as they tried to make their relationship work. But one thing that stood out was their big age difference — he was 54 and she was 23 at the time. As reported by People, when Brown appeared on "The Night Time Show" he said:

"I never thought of her as this young girl. She just became this single mother that I wanted to help."    

In the same interview with People, Brown continued:

"The first conversation we had was, 'Look, Rose, I'm 54. I'm old enough to be your dad.' And she's like, 'Well you're actually one year older than my dad.' And I'm like 'Oh my god, so great let's just be friends.' And she's like 'No, age is just a number.' I'll never forget that. You know, age is just a number." 

Unfortunately, the age difference was just one challenge they faced among many. Brown had trouble adjusting to the Philippines' tropical climate and often complained about the food there as well as Vega's home. Eventually, the couple decided to part ways, with children being a major issue among them, as Brown didn't want more kids. Brown told Entertainment Tonight afterward:

“I don’t think I could’ve made a better fool of myself. When you’re in love, you’re not thinking. You’re not thinking about anybody else but yourself and the person you’re in love with. And I was frustrated because nobody understood."

He adds that his daughter is one of the people who didn't understand:

“Like, my daughter didn’t understand. She was like, ‘Dad, she’s 23,’ and I’m like, ‘I know, but you don’t understand what it feels like to be admired after 28 years.’ It was such a wonderful feeling and I hadn’t had that in years.” 

The attention Brown gained from the show afterward was a mixed bag of positive and negative comments. However, now one of the franchise's most popular stars, Brown has also become a viral sensation.    

More popular than ever, Brown has a following of over 470,000 fans on Instagram and over 1.4 million followers on TikTok. He also makes a lot of Cameo videos for people all over the world. Speaking about his immense fame, he said in the Screen Rant interview:

"What’s so funny is I was dancing on pool tables in a Nacho Libre costume 12 years ago with Richard and now I do it on international TV and I get paid for it. It’s kind of a full-circle thing."

Brown also began his own clothing brand and these days is a bonafide celebrity in his own right. He even returned to the "90 Day Fiance" franchise when he appeared on "90 Day: The Single Life." Wishing to find love again, the show looked at Brown's budding relationship with another former person from the franchise, Liz Woods. Despite some turmoil in their relationship, the couple is believed to be engaged, with TMZ reporting the news in September of this year. According to the website, Woods was seen wearing a ring on her left hand while she and Brown went to a nightclub in Santa Barbara, California.  

However, the couple is not a fan-favorite, with many believing Brown to not be the right guy for Woods. What's more, in a trailer for the second season of "90 Day: The Single Life" Brown can be seen going on a date with a different woman, while Woods doesn't feature in the trailer at all.  For now, it seems we'll have to wait and see what happens. 

Having found love and fame, it appears that Brown is now focusing on his health, with one positive change that he's made in his life his weight loss. Brown has been diligently exercising and posting his progress pictures to his Instagram account. In one video he shared:

"I've lost about two and a half inches off my waist and I'm down about 23 and a half pounds. I gained a couple pounds back because I've been lifting a lot of weights."

As per Screen Rant, Brown decided to hire a personal trainer to help him get in shape. He also shared another video on Instagram with the caption:

“Let’s go put in the time with no excuse and look what can happen.”

Not only is Brown making changes to his body but he also chopped off his long locks and is sporting a new shorter hairstyle. His new look is receiving a lot of support from fans in the comments, with one person writing, "Omg Good for you! That hair cut is SO much better!!" Meanwhile, another said:

"Congrats. You look amazing. Love the hair." 

Many others commented on how much younger it makes him look. We think he looks incredible! It's wonderful to see that Brown is taking stock of his life and focusing on bettering his health with regard to his weight journey. It seems that he's also finally found love and that's initially what he set out to do when he first appeared on the "90 Day Fiance" franchise. All the best to him in the next chapter of his life! 

What do you think of "Big Ed" Brown's transformation? Do you watch "90 Day Fiance?" Let us know and be sure to pass this on to your friends and family.