’90 Day Fiancé’: How do Nicole and Mahmoud make a living?

Warning: This article references domestic violence. Reader discretion is advised.

Nicole and Mahmoud, just like their relationship, have made a big impact in a short time, as per their appearances on the reality TV franchise 90 Day Fiancé. The American-Egyptian couple embarked on their cross-continental romance after a chance meeting through their shared jobs, which they evolved into a joint business venture. Here’s what you need to know about how the couple made money, before and after reality TV fame.

Nicole and Mahmoud’s 90 Day Fiancé journey

American resident Nicole met Mahmoud in his native country of Egypt, when she visited the country on vacation. The two crossed paths when Nicole stopped by Mahmoud’s then-place of work, and Nicole left for the U.S., returned to Egypt just weeks later after keeping in contact with Mahmous, then arrived home once more a married woman after a whirlwind romance. Nicole also converted to Islam, Mahmoud’s religion and the dominant religion in Egyptian culture, before quickly moving to the country to be with her new husband.

However, signs that the two had rushed into the marriage became apparent very quickly, when the couple became embroiled in frequent fights about Nicole’s adherence to Egyptian cultural customs — about which the two had very different perspectives. This led to a separation where Nicole returned to the U.S., and a reconciliation (along with visa approval) led to Mahmoud joining his wife in her home country.

However, the same arguments quickly resurfaced, and accusations of infidelity led to worsened tensions. As Nicole and Mahmoud’s latest appearance, on 90 Day Fiancê: Happily Ever After season eight is still airing, their fate is currently uncertain, but news from earlier this year of Mahmoud’s arrest for domestic violence against Nicole is deeply unfortunate news.

What do Nicole and Mahmoud do for work?

As Mahmoud is not an American citizen, he is not entitled to be paid by the production of 90 Day Fiancé, due to restrictions over paying non-American citizens. Nicole, however, is entitled to a salary said to be around $1,000-$1,500 an episode, cashing in up to $15,000 per average-length season — and perhaps more, as reunion episodes are speculated to pay extra to encourage cast members to come back.

According to In Touch Weekly, Nicole works freelance, delivering food and selling items of clothing online. It is difficult to gauge from a private freelance business how much Nicole could be earning from these endeavours, but resellers in particular can build particularly lucrative businesses with the right interest and clientele. As for online endeavours, it is common for 90 Day Fiancé cast members to earn some extra cash by charging fans for video or text messages on apps like Cameo, or brand deals through social media offering sponsored posts, but the reality star’s social media presence is strictly private.

As obtained by Screen Rant, Nicole apparently had several career changes before meeting and settling down with Mahmoud. The site claims that after graduating college, the reality star worked as a veterinarian, before switching to working for two-legged customers and working in a salon as a receptionist. She then switched to fashion, starting out as as a design intern at Metal Noir, a jewelry retailer, before working as a seamstress for visual artist Jonas Becker, as well as at a number of fashion shows.

As for Mahmoud, the Egyptian native worked in a fabric store selling material to customers —which is how he met his future partner, thanks to their shared interest in fashion. Mahmoud has been shown on 90 Day Fiancé working in the store and tending to customers — a role he likely stayed in for the long term until his recent move to the United States in early 2024. Unlike Nicole, Mahmoud does use his reality TV fame to earn money online, as the star has a Cameo account where fans can request videos for a fee – although he does not seem to have any videos yet, as of May 2024.

On The Other Way, Nicole and Mahmoud announced plans to start a business together, based on their shared knowledge of fashion and tailoring. The two revealed details about a potential modest clothing business, pairing Nicole’s knowledge of women’s fashion and Mahmoud’s lifetime of observing Egyptian culture and trends. However, recent episodes have not shown any progression of their business, so it is uncertain if these plans ever came to fruition.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233), or text “START” to 88788 for safe, confidential support.