’90 Day Fiancé’: What do Kobe and Emily do for work?

Kobe Blaise and Emily Bieberly of 90 Day Fiancé fame had a meet-cute after their career paths took them abroad and they fatefully crossed paths. Now, a wedding, a big move, and three kids later, the couple are making more money than ever, thanks to their reality TV fame. Here’s everything we know about the couple’s journey and jobs since their debut on the series.

Kobe and Emily’s 90 Day Fiancé journey

American Emily and Cameroonian Kobe first met while working temporary jobs in China, and very quickly into their relationship on foreign soil, Emily found herself engaged and pregnant by the time she returned home. Due to visa restrictions, Kobe could not immediately join Emily in the U.S. as part of a K-1 visa, known as the fiancé visa, and Emily was forced to give birth to their son and raise him for the early months of his life without his father present.

By the time of their wedding at the end of season nine of 90 Day Fiancé, Emily was pregnant again. Despite the positive side of Kobe’s presence, further visa restrictions prevented Kobe from working, leaving them with one income to raise two children with, although they did manage to make some ends meet with some help from Emily’s parents.

Despite disagreements over finances and both parties being somewhat controlling, the two are still married, and their more recent ventures were showcased on the follow-up series 90 Day FIancé: Happily Ever After? season eight, airing in 2024. Ahead of the season’s premiere, the couple announced the birth of their third child together.

What do Kobe and Emily do for jobs?

In a job that sounds almost made up, Kobe used to work as an underwear model in China when he met Emily and embarked on a fast-paced relationship with her which resulted in his arrival in the United States. When he went back to his native Cameroon in the early days of their courtship (as well as a delay from the COVID-19 pandemic), he started his own business running a café – although this was short-lived, as he emigrated to stay with Emily and their young baby.

Due to visa restrictions in the United States, new immigrants to the country cannot work immediately upon their arrival, and face waiting times typically ranging from three weeks to four months before they can begin applying for jobs – although it was said that Kobe was forced to wait six months before permission was granted. With a K-1 (fiancé) visa, work permits are typically only eligible with pre-planned applications, and it is rare to attain one within the three-month window a K-1 visa lasts. Due to this issue, Kobe was out of work during his early days in the U.S.

However, things were soon looking up, as shown in the season 9 reunion episode that wrapped up that season, where Kobe announced he had a new job working with asphalt, testing the material to “make sure they have the right specifications before they take them to the road.” Kobe and Emily also stated that he has a good wage, earning “big bucks” from overtime pay. According to Cheat Sheet, Kobe could make an average of $52,000+ per year if he’s working as an Asphalt Technician – a title he didn’t specify in the reunion episode. However, this could easily be much more with significant overtime pay.

As for Emily, she met Kobe in China when she had a temporary job teaching English in the country. Although not stated, this was most likely teaching children, as she had her own daycare business in her home country – which was likely the breadwinning role Emily was working on when Kobe was unable to work. Emily is now a stay-at-home mother, caring for the couple’s now-three children, as of May 2024.

As for extra income, Kobe and Emily have a Cameo account where fans can pay for video messages – although it seems that they haven’t posted any. On their respective Instagram, Kobe now has his own underwear business called Blazes Wear, whereas Emily has sponsored deals with fashion retailers, such as Temu, where she offers her followers discounts, as shown in her Instagram bio links and posts.

Now that Kobe has a working visa, he is entitled to a 90 Day Fiancé cast salary, said to be approximately $1,000-1,500 per episode. With two sources of income in an average season length of around ten or so episodes, Kobe and Emily could be taking home up to around $30,000 per season.