90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Daysstar Ella Johnson and her Chinese boyfriend Johnny Zhao’s romance has kept fans confused for the longest time.Ella is a 30-year-old woman from Idahowho was seen in season 5 romancing her onlineboyfriend Johnny from Jinan, China. Ella works as a livestock rancher in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Johnny is a divorced father who was working with an electric vehicle manufacturing company.Ella and Johnny’s relationshipwas controversial from the start due to her “obsession” with “Asian culture.”
The timing of Ella and Johnny’s long-distance relationship created complications for them. Their storyline dragged on because ofJohnny’s inability to meet Ella in person. Fans kept asking if he was finally able to make it to the U.S. while there were reasons why Johnny would have definitely dropped the idea. BothElla and Johnny turned out to be the villainsof their relationship due to cheating, body-shaming, and lies.
How Did Ella & Johnny Meet?
Ella’s Controversial Reason For Dating Johnny
Ella claimed she was obsessed with “Asian culture” and had hit the “jackpot” when she met Johnny. Ella referred to Johnny as her Asian prince and declared he was her ideal man. Ella had ananime crush with red hair, green eyes, and a fox demon inside him.She wished for her boyfriend to be an exact blueprint of this anime character. However, in real life, Ella was okay with her boyfriend being “Asian.” She was looking for an Asian boyfriend online and that’s how she discovered a social media page for women just like her.
“When I first started talking to Johnny, I was like ‘Oh my God, I just hit the jackpot.’”
Ella became a part of the “Asian men, White women” group. She’d met Johnny in the group a year and a half before filming90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days. Johnny was not the exact blueprint of the fox demon man she was looking for. He didn’t have green eyes or red hair, but Ella thought Johnny had the “perfect” eyes. Johnny told Ella that she was “so beautiful”and “perfect.” Ella tried tojustify her relationship with Johnny by saying that Johnny had a “Western culture” obsession, the same way that she was obsessed with “Asian” culture.
Why Johnny Refused To Travel To The U.S.?
Ella and Johnny had known each other for almost two years but had become “boyfriend and girlfriend” six months ago. Ella believed Johnny was going to be “the one” for her. Johnny was supposed to spend a few months in the U.S. with Ella to get to know her in person. However, Johnny’s plans failed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He grew increasingly worried aboutflying during the pandemic and was certain he would get infected. Johnny was concerned about his health since he was a single dad with a child and elderly parents at home.
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Johnny was the breadwinner of his family. He did not want to end up getting sick and being admitted in a foreign hospital. He started giving Ella excuses about why he was not able to come see her and Ella was growing increasingly frustrated every time Johnny refused.Ella even suggested they could meet mid-way in Dubaiif the U.S. was not an option. However, Johnny would have had to quarantine for five weeks in Dubai before returning home to China. He wasn’t sure if he’d be allowed so many days off and didn’t want to end up losing his job.
Ella Cheated On Johnny
Ella Cried About Wanting Physical Attention
Ella had told Johnny that she was going to find a new one if Johnny did not agree to her Dubai plan. Ella was being selfish without trying to understand his dilemma or respect his culture. She insulted Johnny further by telling Johnny about the sexual encounter she had with another man. Ella was tired of being single by 37 and told Johnny about “how hard” it had been on her. “I need attention. I need physical attention,” she cried while revealing that she had called a friend over to talk and cuddle with and ended up having sex with him.
Ella & Johnny Split After Filming 90 Day Fiancé
Ella Was Fed Up With Johnny’s Excuses
In September 2022,Ellatook to Instagram to share a massive relationship update. The couple was still together during the Tell All and Johnny had even promised to visit Ella in February 2022. However, the pandemic again delayed his plans. However, Ella then decided to clear up any confusion fans had about her relationship status online. She insistedher relationship was “real” but that it had ended. Ella had ended things with Johnny because she couldn’t wait anymore for Johnny to come. Ella was going to focus on herself. She had already lost 25 pounds.
Ella Has Lost More Than 80 Pounds So Far
Ella Looks Like A Different Person After Weight Loss
Ella’s weight loss journey is a remarkable one. Johnny made Ella feel insecure about her weight under the guise of wanting her to be “healthy.”He was shown buying Chinese medicine for Ellaand complaining about her weight to the medical practitioner. Johnny’s friends were also aware of Ella’s weight struggles and laughed at the way she looked. Johnny had told Ella he was going to cook healthy meals for her when he came to live with her in America. Ella was affected by Johnny’s words and had joined a gym to lose a few pounds.
With Johnny gone, Ella made weight loss her priority.She enjoys sharing before-and-after pictures on Instagramwhich show her progress. Ella is particularly proud of how slim her face looks now. Ella has been away from TV screens for a couple of years now. Her weight loss journey goes unnoticed amid the sea of cast members currently addressing their transformations on social media.
In 2024 alone, Ella has lost more than 50 pounds. Ella is nearly unrecognizable now.
Johnny Made It To The U.S.
Johnny Shockingly Kept His Promise To Ella
While Ella and Johnny did part ways in mid-2022,Johnny didn’t give up on his American dream. In July 2023,Johnnyreached the U.S. after spending 12 hours on flights. Johnny’s fans didn’t appreciate him coming to meet Ella considering she had cheated on him. However, Ella seemed to be interested in getting back together with Johnny again. They were not officially back together, but Johnny had been living with Ella for a few months. What was revealed after Johnny left for China was unexpected.
Are Ella & Johnny Still Together?
Ella Is Teasing A Comeback
By October 2023,InTouchrevealed that Ella and Johnny’s relationship was faced with another instance of cheating. Johnny allegedlyvisited another woman during his trip while he was living with Ella.Johnny had a backup ready in case things didn’t work out with Ella. They were“in limbo” when Ella found out that Johnny had been to Arizona to see this other woman. Ella had begged Johnny not to go but he did and he later regretted his decision.
The woman had met Johnny through Instagram. She was a viewer of90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Daysand had approached Johnny as a fan. They had video chatted and Johnny used to send money to her. Johnny allegedly also slept with the woman, and he was also seemingly speaking to her while he was with Ella. However, Ella had planned to go to China in February 2024 to make things work. In August 2024,Ellatold a fan that they’d have tostay tuned and watch the next season of90 Day Diariesfor details.
90 Day Fiancé: Before The 90 Daysairs Sundays at 8 p.m. EST on TLC.
90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days
Cast
A deeper look into the lives of couples established in 90 Day Fiancé, 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days is a reality tv/documentary series that follows the potential spouse from a foreign country and their lead-up to their journey to America. The show documents the early days of the relationship across the ocean and the K-1 visa process required for the spouse to live in the new country. Couples battle with culture shock, language barriers, and the opinions of friends and families alike as they prepare themselves to take the ultimate leap.
