The “90 Day Fiance” franchise has given viewers countless memorable moments throughout its reign on TLC.
Of course, his self-assigned nickname caught the attention of viewers right off the bat.
But after on-screen fights and a difficult journey together, they two called it quits.
This is what he had to say about his relationships and “Single Life” Season 2.
What is the status of Big Ed’s relationship with Liz?
I was doing a little bit of my homework preparing for our interview.
I’d love to just get a status update as to where your relationship stands.
I can’t really comment where we’re at right now.
She’s absolutely amazing.
I was probably 10 out of 10.
It’s been a wonderful journey with my therapist.
There’s a lot that I’ve learned about myself.
My second advice is don’t listen to your friends.
It has to be your choice.
That’s probably one of my biggest breakthroughs in therapy, but I recommend it for anyone.
I think everybody should have a therapist, I really do, because … they’re just amazing.
That got me in trouble.
I think that’s what really ruined my relationship with Liz.
Probably my biggest breakthrough in therapy is that you have to accept somebody for who they are.
you might’t change them.
I tried to change Rose.
I tried to change Liz.
You have to either accept them for who they are or you have to move on.
Yeah, probably horrible, literally the hardest thing.
I’m 56 years old.
I’m not perfect.
We all make mistakes through life and we learn from them.
I mean, all of that stuff, like you’re not a quitter.
The minute you believe that there’s nothing out there for you, it’s kind of over.
Your “90 Day” journey has really been full of so many ups and downs.
Has it been an overwhelmingly positive experience?
Has it been challenging?
Have you learned things about yourself?
How would you kind of pitch that?
Wow, kind of everything you said.
I came back from the Philippines going, “That was dumb.
That was a waste of $6,000 and five weeks of vacation.”
And then the show broke and people are like, “God, you’re my hero.”
And people started to make memes of me.
I just gained a ton of fans kind of overnight.
So then I was kind of already used to kind of being in the limelight.
They don’t tell you what to do.
And I want to confirm that the person that I’m with is with me for me.
It’s not always easy to know.
But I have no regrets.
We had security guards.
We were never not safe, but it’s been a incredible experience.
Everybody at TLC has been very supportive.
But I was also wondering if COVID impacted this season at all.
The production company that TLC works with, they take COVID very seriously.
Everyone’s in masks.
Have you been around anybody?"
There was no season that was impacted more than when I did “Strike Back.”
We had to do all the self-filming.
This is what’s kind of ironic is COVID actually made me viral because people had nothing to do.
I do my video shout-outs, and people are like, “Your season got us through COVID.”
That part makes me feel really, really good.
People love my misery.
It’s kind of funny.
What has Big Ed’s experience with social media been like?
What’s that been like to kind of bridge that gap?
People kind of call me the Danny DeVito of reality TV.
I’m like a character.
I’m kind of short and I have a shorter neck.
I look a little bit different.
I get a lot of emails from people that have my same condition, which is Klippel-Feil.
I never allowed it to define who I was, but I look different.
I have a shorter neck and a big ribcage and I’m kind of not as tall.
People are like, look, you put yourself out there and you got mayonnaise in your hair.
I have your same condition and I’m so depressed.
How do you do it?
It’s kind of an opportunity for me to say, “Hey, look.
Love who you are and laugh at yourself.”
The laugh at yourself part is really we all make mistakes; don’t be afraid to fail.
Make good decisions, but don’t be afraid to fail.
But I kind of learned that after Liz and I’s breakup that I have to take that on.
If you’re going to love yourself, you better get into therapy and figure out who you are.
Definitely, because it’s not just loving the good bits.
It’s the bad as well.
And then I start posting pictures with young girls.
It’s not the image that I really want people to know me as.
I wanted people to say, “Look, this what I’m going through.”
When you’re going through a break … go work out.
The difference [is] that [it] gives you clear thinking.
So I have decided that I want to attempt to do something more than put mayonnaise in my hair.
I want to touch, move, and inspire people, especially the young adults.
I’ll never say no to a photograph unless I’m eating, which kind of drives me crazy.
They’re so excited to see me.
They’re like, “I can’t even hold the camera.
I’m shaking.”
Okay, don’t do that.
I’m just having dinner.
Don’t worry about it.
I just give a shot to let people know [to] be yourself.
But I had to kind of take that on.
Like I said, I knew I had things to work on after Liz.
There is Big Ed that’s on TV.
And then there’s Ed the person that’s emotionally crying."
She helped me really define that there are two different people, even though I’m one person.
Because people say wonderful things online and people say a lot that’s not true.
What is Big Ed’s advice for dealing with online negativity?
In what ways do you cope with any of that negativity?
Because social media can be a fickle thing.
But if you feed into that, it will bring you down.
But to the haters out there, I love ya.
To hurt someone, it might feel good for about a second, but then it goes away.
I’ve kind of taken that.
But look, it came with what I signed up for, and I have no regrets.
I mean, to be known in 155 countries, to be the most popular
Mind-blowing.
meme in the world, it just blows my mind.
My friends don’t believe I’m working with you."
I’m like, “Where are your friends at?”
They’re like, “Romania.”
I’m like, “What?”
TLC has a pretty big reach.
I have a platform to make a difference in this world.
What did Big Ed have to say about The Single Life Season 2?
The new season of “The Single Life” is going to start.
What are you hoping that you will get out of this season?
The minute you do, it’s over.
But every person you meet, you leave something with and you take something with you as well.
But it’s only by their meeting that a new world is born."
We all have that opportunity to touch, move, and inspire someone in a positive way.
And even if it doesn’t work out, you leave a better person.
Rose made me a better person.
Liz made me a better person.
There’s tears, there’s laughter, there’s danger.
It’s going to be much more wild than Season 1, so you got to tune in.
So viewers are going to be strapped in for a wild ride then?
Yeah, they’re in for a real treat.
You’ll even get to see me dance.
That’s going to be fun.
They want to see you make mistakes and they want to see you learn from your mistakes.
The Rolling Stone said that TLC has cracked the code in reality TV.
Definitely, because people at the end of the day, especially now, we’re all craving connectivity.
That’s really what it boils down to.
Also, too, I finally got a real job.
Oh, that’s so fun.
All my proceeds, my tips and my salary, go to St. Jude’s Children’s.
That makes me feel so good.
That came from my therapist.
My therapist is like, “Look, go volunteer.”
I also am working with Meals with Wheels, so I deliver food as well.
You don’t realize how impactful that [is] on you.
And then bartending for St. Jude’s, it’s just a lot of fun.
I get to talk to people and everybody wants a picture.
I’m having I’m really enjoying my life.
And contributing to such a great cause, as well, which is awesome.
“90 Day: The Single Life” Season 2 premieres Friday, November 12 on discovery+.
