Kenneth Niedermeier became part of reality television history in 2020 when he and his partner Armando were the first gay couple to appear on hit reality show 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way. The show, a development of 90 Day Fiance, shows Americans willing to move to another country to be with their foreign partner. In Niedermeier’s case, this meant trading life in Florida for life in Mexico. Niedermeier’s journey as he contemplated leaving his family behind and moving over the border touched many hearts. His social media rocketed since the show aired, going from a few thousand to over 156,000 in just a few months. Here is a man who has clearly made an impact.

Niedermeier originally hails from Toledo, Ohio. After coming out as gay, he relocated to Saint Petersburg in Florida, a city famous for its embracing of LGBTQ people and culture. It was here that he had to fake a marriage to a close female friend in order to have children through in vitro — a process only available to married couples at a time when gay marriage was still some years away. Through the process, he had four children. He also recently became a Grandad. Wrestling with the decision to move away from his family after being around them for over 25 years was one of, if not the, hardest decision Niedermeier has ever had to make, especially as he struggled with the local language and his prospective new home’s less-tolerant attitude towards homosexuality.

However, he is now happily ensconced in Mexico and enjoying his new-found fame.