Meisha Johnson is the newest cast member on the current season of 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days, and her storyline is interesting, to say the least.
Due to divine intervention, she met Nicola Kanaan — a 46-year-old virgin who lives in Israel — and after seven years of online friendship, the pair finally met in person.
Things didn’t go as smoothly as Meisha had hoped, because Nicola’s personality seemingly changed when she arrived in the holy land.
However, during an exclusive interview with Monsters and Critics, Meisha shared some insights about the discomforts of filming their first in-person meeting on camera.
She also teased what we can expect as the season plays out, and defended Nicola against the critics who’ve witnessed some questionable behavior over the past few weeks.
Meisha also told us that viewers are missing out on Nicola’s sense of humor — due in part to cultural differences and the pressures of filming.
90 Day Fiance star Meisha Johnson explains Nicola’s quirky personality
The 90 Day Fiance star got honest about her “secular worldview” before her conversion, and how that changed the type of man she was looking for.
That’s when God sent Nicola into her life, and yes, the 43-year-old admitted that he’s different than the men in her past.
“Nicola is a very different type of person, no question about it,” she admitted. “But had those differences been so awkward, and weird for me that I couldn’t have talked to him, we wouldn’t have spent seven plus years just emersed into each other, and our friendship.”
“I already knew he was different, I already knew he was awkward and quirky and all that, but I knew another side of him,” she added.
As for the side of Nicola that we haven’t seen, Meisha explained that filming was like being in a “pressure cooker,” and even with her prior TV experience as a news anchor, it was hard.
“For me struggling with that, imagine now him struggling with all of that… someone who spent his entire life basically in prayer, almost alone sometimes with a priest or a monk.”
Meisha Johnson says she’s forever indebted to Nicola no matter how their story ends
There’s more to play out before we get to the end of Meisha and Nicola’s story.
However, whatever happens, Meisha has no regrets about meeting Nicola who “came through prayer.”
“Now, we don’t know the end of the story, but it doesn’t matter,” reasoned Meisha. “For that time in space and for that season in my life, it was exactly what I needed, and I’m forever indebted to Nicola for that.”
Check out our full interview with Meisha Johnson below.
90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days airs on Sundays at 8/7c on TLC and Discovery+.