From Punchline to Sympathy: Gino Palazzolo’s Surprising Redemption Arc After the Divorce

For years, Gino Palazzolo was the franchise’s favorite target. The hat jokes. The infamous “send money” memes. The man who went along with an open marriage on national television and somehow came out of it looking worse each season. But something has shifted in 2026: with his divorce from Jasmine Pineda finalized and his split from Natalie behind him, the man fans loved to roast is quietly becoming the man fans root for. This is the story of the most unexpected redemption arc in 90 Day Fiancé history.

The Man Everyone Loved to Hate

Rewind a few seasons and Gino was the ultimate villain of his own love story — or at least the villain fans had cast him as. On 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days he was the frugal Michigan man criticized for making Jasmine wait. On The Last Resort, the dynamic flipped into something uglier: Jasmine asked for an open marriage in therapy, then started a relationship with Matt Branistareanu and welcomed a daughter while still legally married to Gino. Fans watched a man get humiliated on camera and still kept the jokes coming. The hat became a meme. The man behind it was easy to forget.

The Divorce Judgment That Flipped the Script

Then came the divorce judgment, finalized June 25, 2026 — and it read like a plot twist no writer would dare invent. Gino kept the couple’s Canton, Michigan home and a 2015 Ford Explorer. And in the detail that broke the internet, Jasmine was ordered to pay HIM $500 a month for 40 months, starting July 1, 2026 — a total of $20,000 in spousal support. For years, Gino had accused Jasmine of being after his money. The court, in essence, agreed he was the one owed. Fans who had laughed at him for seasons suddenly found themselves typing congratulations.

Fans Are Now Cheering for Him

The reaction has been impossible to miss. On May 10, Gino posted an ordinary photo with a male friend at a Canton pub — and the comments were flooded with support. On June 27, a tribute post from a user named Anthony, calling Gino his uncle and celebrating his fresh outlook on life, drew a wave of fans praising his freedom; one follower singled out the $20,000 swing as poetic justice. On September 7, Gino showed up at the Arts, Beats & Eats festival in Royal Oak, Michigan with two friends, looking relaxed and happy — a far cry from the tense, miserable man viewers remembered from therapy couch confessionals.

Still Single — and Fans Think That Is a Win

Here is the most telling part of the arc: Gino is single, and nobody is mocking him for it. After ending things with Natalie — telling her they should remain friends instead — he briefly dated Lexi, a 30-year-old single mother, though she clarified at the Tell All that they were never in a committed relationship. His recent social media shows no romantic partner at all: just friendships, family, and Michigan life. After a decade of televised relationship chaos, a quiet life looks less like failure and more like the point. The man who chased love across continents now seems content to let it wait.

Gino Palazzolo may never be a fan favorite in the traditional sense. But he might be something rarer: a reality star who got beat up by the edit, the marriage, and the memes — and walked out of it all with his house, his dignity, and twenty thousand reasons to smile.

Team Gino now, or still not convinced? Tell us in the comments.