Few couples from the TV show 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way experienced as many public ups and downs as Tiffany Franco and Ronald Smith. From long-distance struggles and financial problems to addiction concerns and explosive online arguments, their relationship became one of the franchise’s most emotionally turbulent storylines.
Fans first met the couple during the debut season of The Other Way in 2019. Tiffany, an American single mother from Maryland, moved to South Africa to pursue a future with Ronald after falling in love during a trip abroad. However, their relationship immediately faced serious challenges connected to Ronald’s gambling addiction history, visa complications, and disagreements about where to raise their family.
Over the following years, Tiffany and Ronald repeatedly broke up and reconciled while continuing to appear across multiple 90 Day Fiancé spinoffs. Their relationship drama often spilled onto social media, where both publicly accused each other of dishonesty, infidelity, and manipulation.
Now, after years of uncertainty surrounding their legal separation, recent reports suggest their divorce has finally been finalized. Here is a closer look at Tiffany Franco and Ronald Smith’s relationship timeline and where things stand today.
How Tiffany Franco and Ronald Smith Met
Tiffany Franco first met Ronald Smith in South Africa in 2017 while visiting the country. According to their storyline on 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way, the two connected quickly and began a long-distance relationship shortly afterward.
At the time, Ronald was recovering from a gambling addiction and had recently completed rehabilitation treatment. The issue became one of the central concerns throughout their reality TV journey, particularly because Tiffany worried about the long-term stability of their future together.
Despite warnings from family and friends, Tiffany moved forward with the relationship and eventually relocated to South Africa with her son Daniel. The couple married in 2019 during the first season of The Other Way.
Soon afterward, Tiffany became pregnant with their daughter, Carley Rose. However, tensions surrounding finances, trust, and immigration issues intensified almost immediately after the wedding.
One of the biggest challenges in Tiffany and Ronald’s marriage was distance. Because Ronald struggled to obtain approval for a U.S. visa due to his criminal history, the couple spent most of their marriage living separately in different countries. Tiffany eventually returned to the United States while Ronald remained in South Africa.
That separation placed enormous pressure on the relationship. Throughout various 90 Day Fiancé appearances, viewers watched the couple argue about parenting responsibilities, financial support, and trust issues.
Ronald frequently expressed frustration about missing important moments in his daughter’s life, while Tiffany became increasingly vocal about feeling unsupported emotionally and financially. Their disagreements often escalated during video calls and social media exchanges.
The couple’s problems intensified further during appearances on the TV show 90 Day: The Single Life, where Tiffany openly questioned whether the marriage could survive. Ronald later accused Tiffany of refusing to fully commit to their future together.
Their relationship eventually became one of the franchise’s most well-known examples of repeated breakup-and-reconciliation cycles.
Public Accusations Made Their Split Messier
By 2021 and 2022, Tiffany Franco and Ronald Smith’s marriage had largely unraveled publicly.
The pair regularly aired grievances against each other online through Instagram Lives, interviews, and social media posts. Both accused the other of dishonesty and toxic behavior during the separation process.
Ronald publicly claimed Tiffany delayed signing divorce papers, while Tiffany accused Ronald of manipulation and failing to contribute consistently as a husband and father.
Fans closely followed the drama because the couple often shared personal details publicly instead of handling disagreements privately. Their arguments became especially intense whenever questions arose about co-parenting their daughter Carley, or Ronald’s contact with Tiffany’s son Daniel.
At the same time, some viewers continued hoping the couple would reconcile because they had reunited several times before after previous breakups.
However, by 2023, it became increasingly clear that the relationship had likely reached a permanent breaking point.
Reports Now Suggest Their Divorce Is Official
For years, fans remained confused about whether Tiffany Franco and Ronald Smith were legally divorced because conflicting reports circulated online.
Recent updates, though, strongly suggest the divorce has finally been completed.
In April 2025, multiple 90 Day Fiancé update pages and entertainment outlets reported that Ronald confirmed the divorce was officially finalized. According to those reports, Ronald stated publicly that it was important for fans to understand Tiffany was legally single again.
Additional reporting later claimed Tiffany filed for divorce formally in February 2025 before the process was finalized several months later.
Although neither Tiffany nor Ronald released a detailed joint statement publicly, the available reports indicate their marriage has now legally ended after years of separation and instability.
This development did not surprise many longtime viewers because the couple had already spent years living apart while repeatedly discussing divorce during television appearances and online arguments.
Tiffany Franco Has Moved Forward With Her Life
Following the apparent finalization of the divorce, Tiffany Franco has continued focusing on major personal changes in her life.
One of the biggest transformations involved her health and weight-loss journey. Tiffany underwent weight-loss surgery in 2021 and later documented significant physical and emotional changes through social media updates and reality television appearances.
She also returned to the 90 Day Fiancé franchise through the dating-focused spinoff 90 Day: Hunt for Love, where she explored new romantic connections after the end of her marriage.
According to recent reports, Tiffany later revealed she was dating a man named Ronnie following the show’s filming. She explained during a Tell-All appearance that they had known each other for years before reconnecting romantically.
In interviews and social media content, Tiffany has increasingly focused on motherhood, confidence, and rebuilding her life independently after years of emotional relationship struggles.
Ronald Smith’s Life After the Split
Ronald Smith has also moved forward following the end of the marriage. Recent entertainment reports claimed Ronald is expecting another child with a new partner after his divorce from Tiffany.
Like Tiffany, Ronald continued discussing the relationship publicly at times after their separation. He frequently defended himself against criticism from fans and argued that editing on 90 Day Fiancé did not always accurately reflect the full reality of their marriage.
Despite their conflicts, both Tiffany and Ronald have continued emphasizing the importance of co-parenting their daughter, Carley. However, the long distance between South Africa and the United States continues making co-parenting logistics difficult.
Why Their Relationship Resonated With 90 Day Fiancé Fans
Part of what made Tiffany Franco and Ronald Smith’s relationship so memorable within the 90 Day Fiancé franchise was how emotionally raw their storyline became.
Unlike some reality TV couples whose drama feels exaggerated primarily for entertainment, Tiffany and Ronald’s struggles often appeared deeply personal and painful. Issues involving addiction recovery, financial insecurity, parenting stress, and immigration complications gave their story real emotional weight.
Viewers also became attached to Tiffany’s son Daniel, whose close emotional connection with Ronald became one of the relationship’s most heartfelt aspects early on. Many fans felt particularly emotional watching the family dynamic collapse over time.
The couple’s repeated reconciliations also kept audiences invested because viewers never fully knew whether they would ultimately stay together or separate permanently.
Now that the divorce appears finalized, many fans view their story as one of the franchise’s clearest examples of how long-distance relationships and unresolved personal struggles can eventually overwhelm even strong emotional connections.
Where Tiffany and Ronald Stand Today
As of 2026, Tiffany Franco and Ronald Smith appear to be permanently separated and officially divorced, according to recent reports.
Tiffany has focused on dating again, raising her children, and continuing her personal transformation journey. Ronald, meanwhile, appears to be building a new chapter in South Africa while remaining involved in his daughter’s life from afar.
Although their relationship became one of the most dramatic storylines in 90 Day Fiancé history, both now seem focused on moving forward separately rather than revisiting another reconciliation.
For longtime fans of the franchise, the finalization of their divorce closes a complicated chapter that lasted years both on television and across social media.
While reports indicate that Tiffany Franco and Ronald Smith’s divorce has been finalized, it is important to understand that much of the timeline unfolded gradually rather than through a single confirmed public announcement. Over several years, the couple repeatedly discussed divorce on reality TV and social media, which created confusion about when the legal process actually began. This pattern is common among 90 Day Fiancé couples, where emotional separation often happens long before legal paperwork is completed.
Because both Tiffany and Ronald shared updates independently rather than through joint statements, fans often relied on fragmented information. As a result, some reports conflicted about the exact dates. Still, the broader consensus from recent coverage suggests the legal separation is now complete, marking the definitive end of their marriage.
Given their history of multiple breakups and reunions, some fans continue wondering whether Tiffany Franco and Ronald Smith could reconcile again in the future. However, current circumstances suggest that the possibility is unlikely. Both individuals appear to be actively building separate lives, with Tiffany exploring new relationships and Ronald reportedly starting a family with a new partner.
More importantly, many of the core issues that affected their marriage, including distance, trust concerns, and financial disagreements, remain unchanged. Without those challenges being resolved, a long-term reconciliation would be difficult to sustain. While reality TV often thrives on surprise reunions, this situation appears to have reached a more permanent conclusion compared to their earlier breakups.
