’90 Day Fiance’ Star Shekinah Garner Filed for Bankruptcy in 2007: Inside Her Money Woes

90 Day Fiancé star Shekinah Garner filed for bankruptcy in July 2007, years before her debut on the hit TLC reality TV series, In Touch can exclusively confirm. 

Shekinah, 41, voluntarily filed for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy as a single debtor, according to a bankruptcy filing exclusively obtained by In Touch. The paperwork was submitted in Santa Barbara, California, on July 20, 2007. 

In the documents, the TLC personality said she was filing as an individual with listed trustee, David Farmer. Her case was later discharged on October 29, 2007.

Shekinah’s previous financial issues have been revealed following her and boyfriend Sarper Güven’s debut on 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way in August 2023, where she introduced fans to her flashy lifestyle as a cohost for glamorous events. 

Apart from her event hosting gig, Shekinah has been licensed as an aesthetician for over 20 years and opened her a skincare studio during the pandemic. She also launched a Dermaplaning and oilplaning online course, which she said “quickly rose to the number one selling Dermaplaning course in the nation,” according to her verified Instagram profile. 

“There’s always a party. There’s always a premiere,” the California native — who grew up Amish — explained during her debut on the August 28 episode. “It’s basically my job to bring attractive people to just be part of the event and the atmosphere.” 

During the spinoff, fans watched as the aesthetician decided to leave her life in Los Angeles to move to Turkey to be with her boyfriend. Viewers also met Shekinah’s ex, Berto Matta, as they discussed what would happen to their daughter, Sophie, if Shekinah left overseas. 

“I wanna show Sophie for the first time in her life what a healthy relationship looks like,” she told her ex prior to her departure during the September 4 episode, emphasizing that her daughter was away at boarding school. “And she has a break every five weeks. I’ll still come back every five weeks and spend a week with her.”

Equally glamorous, Sarper is a former exotic dancer who now works in fitness. While he felt major chemistry with the mom of one, he worried if he could commit to one woman as his friend previously described him as a “playboy.” 

“It’s not that easy to giving up bad boy lifestyle, but I love her [sic],” the personal trainer explained in a confessional. “So I hope I can get used to it because it will be difficult. I will do my best, somehow.”