Reality TV
‘90 Day Fiance’ Star Paul Staehle Says He’s ‘Working As a Team’ With Karine Amid Custody Battle
90 Day Fiancé alum Paul Staehle says he and estranged wife Karine Staehle are working “as a team” amid their heated custody battle over sons Pierre and Ethan.
“Me and Karine are friends, we talk constantly, we’re good,” Paul, 39, told 90 Day Fiancé blogger John Yates on Friday, November 4. “I tell Karine, maybe we should get the Brazilian embassy involved at this point.”
Paul — who shares 3-year-old Pierre and 20-month-old Ethan with the aspiring makeup artist — claims he isn’t allowed to see his sons until their 18th birthdays.
“I’ve done everything they said … and they won’t remove the order,” the TLC alum continued before revealing why he was given an “18-year ban.” “I let Karine see the kids … There was an order on there that Karine could only see the kids supervised, I let Karine see the kids unsupervised, therefore I violated the court orders.”
The former reality TV star is conducting the interview from Karine’s native country of Brazil, where he’s “filming and scouting” for a “few different companies” which he said included the Travel Channel. However, Paul noted he does plan to return stateside to help Karine since the mom of two recently got her permit and has plans to start driving.
News of Paul and Karine’s heated custody battle first broke on June 8 when the pair’s older son, Pierre, was reported missing and thought to be in the company of his father. On July 1, Paul hinted at the brewing custody issues looming for his sons.
“If two parents have their kids taken, the grandparents or [a] relative should be allowed to have temporary custody,” the father of two wrote via his Instagram Stories. “To ban the grandparents from the children as well as the natural parents is very sad.”
On July 2, the Louisville Metro Police Department confirmed to In Touch that the toddler was “located and safe” and the missing person’s case was closed on that date.
“He did the exchange with his parents and dropped Pierre off along with Pierre’s stuff at a local park,” a source separately confirmed to In Touch about Paul dropping off Pierre with his mom. Ethan had already been previously taken into CPS custody, where they are to this day.
Paul and Karine were first introduced to viewers during season 1 of the spinoff 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days. The series documented Paul as he traveled to the Amazon region of South America to meet Karine for the first time. Despite her family’s concerns over the Louisville, Kentucky, native’s criminal past, the pair tied the knot in November 2017 and their wedding aired during a season 2 episode.
