After moving to the United States nine months ago, Michael Ilesanmi of 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After began charting his career trajectory. The Nigerian had spent seven years with his American wife Angela Deem and hoped for a happy married life with her. He had allowed herself to be disrespected, thinking that one day things would improve. In December 2023, Michael arrived in the United States, but after spending a few months with Angela, he realized that she would not be the woman he expected her to be. In February 2024, Michael finally gave up on the marriage.
Over the past few months, Michael has been solely focused on himself and his happiness. He has formed many new friendships, especially with his 90 Day Fiancé series co-stars Kobe Blaze and Jasmine Pineda. Michael has also been focused on rediscovering his happiness and expanding his network in the United States. His social media posts feature his new life in the United States and all the good things about it. Michael has become part of an amazing community of people who truly care about him. Michael’s latest videos also show him playing soccer and enjoying his newfound freedom in Houston.
What kind of work did Michael do before meeting Angela?
Michael was employed as a bus manager in Nigeria.
Michael has spent most of his adult life in Nigeria, but hasn’t shared many details about his educational background or childhood dreams. He was working as a bus manager when he first met Angela in 2017. The 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After season 8 alum was earning enough to support himself and wasn’t in any major financial crisis at the time.
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Unfortunately, things changed for Michael over the next few years. He quit his job and became dependent on Angela for regular money. He also had to quit social media after his wife felt he was talking to younger women without her knowledge.
Michael is looking to capitalize on his reality TV fame
Michael began sharing his goals and aspirations for 2022. He reactivated his social media accounts and started creating content without Angela’s knowledge. As expected, Angela was very unhappy with the situation. She felt betrayed and accused Michael of being unfaithful. She asked (via 90 Day Fiancé), “No, I don’t know if you love me. What did you think would happen if you opened an Instagram?” Michael responded, “The reason I opened an Instagram is because if I use social media for influence, I get paid. So that’s all I’m trying to do.”
Over the past few months, Michael has proven that he wasn’t lying to Angela about his dreams. He has started Instagram, TikTok and Facebook pages and shares content on these platforms. Michael has also created a Cameo account and creates personalized videos for his fans. The reality TV star has come a long way in just a few months. Not only has Michael verified his profile from Meta, but he has also gained over 100,000 Instagram followers in a short period of time. Michael thoroughly enjoys creating content for his fans and leveraging his reality TV fame.
Michael has a new manager called Colonel Jones.
Michael is really thriving as an influencer.
Michael has moved to America and seems to be focusing more on his career after splitting with Angela.
He learned from his co-stars and hired a new manager, Colonel Jones. In mid-September 2024, Michael shared his future career plans with his fans in an Instagram Story update. He urged his fans to contact his manager with any booking inquiries. Michael included Colonel’s Instagram handle and work email ID in the post, making it easy for interested parties to contact his manager about job opportunities.
Michael teams up with fashion brand
Michael explores the world of fashion influencers
Since announcing his new manager, Michael has already started securing new work. A few days ago, he shared an Instagram Story showing off his latest partnership with a major fast fashion company. He posted a photo of himself in a stylish t-shirt on his Instagram Story and tagged “@fashionnova” to let people know that he endorsed the company.
Michael takes inspiration from other 90 Day Fiancé cast members who partnered with fashion brands before him, such as Jasmine Pineda and Sophie Sierra. He uses his popularity to understand his audience and their tastes and secure the right jobs for him.
Michael wants to do charity work.
Michael is eager to help those in need.
Michael was recently interviewed by Kiki & Kibitz where he spoke about his philanthropic goals. During the interview, the interviewer asked him what he wanted to achieve within a year. Michael responded, “I just want to be successful. I want to help people in any way I can.” He said that witnessing the suffering of people in his home country inspired him to make money while helping those less fortunate. Michael said that he wants to care for them in any “small way” he can. He ended by saying, “God bless me. I need to bless others too.”
Michael has a backup plan.
Michael doesn’t put all his eggs in one basket
Custom image by César García
During the interview, Michael also mentioned his backup plan. He said that his main goal is to become a popular influencer, as he has gained quite a bit of experience working in front of the camera for the past six years. However, becoming popular isn’t his only goal. He explained, “I’m going to have a backup as well. I’m going to have some kind of side hustle.” The 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After star revealed that he has a contingency plan in place in case things don’t go his way.
Michael aims to stay productive and busy.
Michael reveals his new job
Michael may be experimenting as a food blogger.
A few days ago, Michael showed the first signs of becoming a full-time social media influencer. He posted a video of a restaurant called Suya On The Spot, reviewing the food with a smile on his face. Michael seemed happy to share his opinions like a food blogger and exuded confidence throughout the video. He expanded his content portfolio and started securing more work. He seems to be trying different things to find his niche. It will be interesting to see if the 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After alum’s journey will transform him into a prominent influencer with millions of followers.
“90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days” airs Sundays at 8pm ET on TLC.
Sources: 90 Day Fiancé/YouTube, Michael Ilesanmi/Instagram, Kiki and Kibbitz/YouTube, Michael Ilesanmi/Instagram
