90 Day Fiancé has its share of controversial couples, though few put forth as much drama both on-screen and behind the scenes as Deavan Clegg and Jihoon Lee. Their story really took off when Deavan was alleged to have unexpectedly ended the relationship after a planned trip to the U.S. without Jihoon, started dating a new guy, and made moves to obtain full custody of their shared son Taeyang. Now that the court case is over, with Clegg winning custody of the young boy, she made some extremely candid claims about why she left Jihoon, also sharing why they “faked” being a couple for reality television.
In a bombshell statement shared on her Instagram Stories, Deavan Clegg revealed that her and Jihoon Lee’s relationship was more or less over before when 90 Day Fiancé viewers originally thought. As mentioned, it seemed like the relationship ended during Deavan’s return trip to the United States with Taeyang and her daughter Drascilla, but according to Deavan, it was well before that. In response to a fan asking why she left Jihoon, Deavan shared her perspective of when things ended and how the two faked their way through a relationship while filming the show:
If you want me to be 100% honest. I don’t think there was a romantic connection, to begin with. We both felt this way and had talked about it several times. We did everything for the show because he had debts, and I had medical bills to pay. When I moved there, we never slept in the same bed. We faked it for YouTube and the show.
Apparently, Deavan and Jihoon both had some debts they needed to settle, so they continued to film 90 Day Fiancé despite the struggles in their relationship. It’s interesting to hear that the two broke up long before the alleged end of it all, which made it seem like Deavan fled South Korea and blindsided Jihoon with talk of divorce. This new story offers a new perspective and, if it’s true, it makes Deavan’s decision appear far less shocking.
Deavan continued in her statement and referenced Jihoon becoming abusive, something she's alleged in previous posts when they first split. Deavan explained how things progressed in their relationship from there, and when the relationship actually ended:
Once he became abusive, I made him stay at his parents. I had planned to return home in March, then COVID hit, and my flight was canceled. We both had ended the relationship in November but decided to finish the season. We both knew we had to continue filming.
Deavan shared that she had to continue filming with Jihoon, otherwise they wouldn't be paid. According to Deavan, if cast members cease filming or speak out about the "truth" of storylines, they aren't paid, and that pay only comes through once the season is done airing on television.
Deavan revealed in other stories that she now has 100% custody of Taeyang. Additionally, she said Jihoon has made no attempts to contact or attend mandated virtual visits with Taeyang. Deavan alleged she reached out and tried to make arrangements but was never able to make contact. Jihoon, at one point, tried to start a GoFundMe in order to raise money for legal support but ultimately ended up firing his attorney. Jihoon hasn’t responded to the new comments, but his Instagram account no longer contains photos of Deavan or his son Taeyang. We’ll see if the coming days bring his side of the story or any additional context.
Deavan Clegg and Jihoon Lee are no longer on 90 Day Fiancé, but fans can currently re-live their story with a Discovery+ subscription. Those who don’t have that might soon be able to see the franchise anyway, as the platform will be available to anyone with an HBO Max subscription in the near-ish future.
