During Sunday night’s episode of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way, Jen’s friends blindsided Rishi.
Using a translator, Randi and Myra revealed the three-year engagement.
Despite initially playing it cool, Rishi’s mother and uncle were furious, and told Rishi to tell Jen “no.” Especially after they learned her age.
Some viewers reacted very harshly, blaming Jen for turning Rishi’s life upside down. Now, Rishi has something to say.
As we covered in our extensive recap of Season 4, Episode 13, Rishi Singh felt as blindsided as his mother and uncle.
Jen Boecher’s friends, Randi and Myra, came to support her. With the help of a translator, Randi revealed that Jen and Rishi are engaged — and have been for three years.
In front of their guests, his family only showed surprise. In private, they condemned the relationship. And fans took to social media to condemn Jen and her friends.
Late Sunday night, Rishi used his own Instagram page to speak out in defense of Jen.
“Dear fans, I do not like to see Jen upset,” he began his caption alongside the above photo.
“And she is VERY UPSET by the DMs & condemnations,” Rishi announced, “about some things that i should have cleared up a long time ago.”
1. Jen has been coming to India since 2014 and is very familiar with the general Indian culture,” Rishi began to list.
“2. When I proposed, I told her that my family was 100% fine with me choosing my own bride AND we could live in our own place ( joint family not necessary),” he revealed.
Rishi then added: “3. Regardless of when my family found out about the engagement, there would have had issues with the age difference. Her friends did me a favor.”
Rishi asked: “4. Please stop suggesting to Jen that. A. she is ‘trying to change me/the culture’ (see #1+2) OR B. She ‘should have learned from Jenny & Sumit.’”
“5. Why are people lumping ALL Indians and ALL Americans into the same categories?” he asked. And he was right to ask this.
“Not ALL Indian people are the same just as not ALL American people are the same,” Rishi emphasized.
“To assume that Sumit represents all Indian men or that Jenny represents all American women is ridiculous and small-minded,” Rishi correctly described.
“They are absolutely wonderful people but THEY ARE NOT US,” he then emphasized.
To fans of him and of Jen, Rishi then concluded: “Thank you for your support!”
Rishi made some solid points in that caption.
Harassing a cast member is unacceptable — don’t DM them, don’t @ them with cruelty.
But a lot of viewers just have the wrong idea about these two. Frankly, it’s not even editing shenanigans. Viewers are giving themselves these ideas, it seems, and Jen has been paying the price.
So, on Episode 13, Randi spoke (through their lovely translator) to tell Rishi’s mom and uncle about the relationship.
She clarified that it was an engagement.
Rishi felt nervous as he realized what was happening. Left to his own devices, he would have waited until 4 PM on August 2, as his astrologer had instructed. (Yes, really)
Rishi’s mother’s shock was very visible. Some things do not require translation, it seems.
Through the translator, she told Jen and her friends that it’s not a problem.
Oh, she had questions and concerns about logistics — wanting Rishi to stay there and not move to Mumbai, as Jen would prefer.
Privately, however, she was reeling in horror. She did not like this idea.
And she did not like that Rishi had not even asked her.
After Jen and her friends had gone, the production crew remained to film Rishi facing his mother and uncle.
They did not mince words.
They told him that they were in a state of shock.
His mother opened up about how her “heart is broken” because of Rishi’s plans to marry.
And then she asked about Jen’s age.
Jen Boecher is 48 years old. Rishi is 32.
The 16-year age gap isn’t nothing, but it’s hardly a problem — these two are an age-appropriate pairing. But not in Rishi’s family.
Ultimately, his mom straight-up told him that this could never happen, that she wasn’t even going to bother asking other relatives for their take.
Rishi’s defense of Jen and her friends is making some points.
Their age gap would not have lessened if they’d waited for two months, or longer. The proportions, maybe, but not the numbers.
