90 Day Fiance’s Paul Confirms He and Karine Are Only Friends: ‘Obviously Toxic Incompatibility’

90 Day Fiancé star Paul Staehle has confirmed that he and estranged wife Karine Staehle (née Martins) are not in a relationship, but they are staying friends.

In an Instagram Stories post from Paul, 40, that was shared by 90 Day Fiancé blog account True Crime Jankie on Sunday, October 8, the father of two wrote that he and Karine, 27, “are not together.”

“She is currently dating several different men to establish which of the men is the best possible fit for her,” Paul continued. “I am talking to an ingenious woman native of Amazonas. We only want a peaceful friendship, we are both tired of our obviously toxic incompatibility.”

Paul’s statement came after he and Karine were spotted together at Disneyland in California on October 5. The former couple received backlash after a fan shared photos of them at the happiest place on Earth without their sons, Pierre, 4, and Ethan, 2, who are currently in the care of a foster family amid Paul and Karine’s custody battle with Child Protective Services (CPS). They have been fighting for custody of Pierre and Ethan since June 2022 when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children issued an alert for Pierre, noting that the boy might have been with Paul at the time despite being in CPS’ custody.

Pierre and Ethan were placed in a foster family while Paul and Karine fought for their sons in court. A source exclusively told In Touch in January that the boys were “thriving very much and changed tremendously” amid their placement.

“They are extremely loved, cared about and embraced by a whole family,” the insider added.

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Paul shared an update on the status of his relationship with Karine amid the custody battle in June, revealing that they had forgiven each other “for [their] past.”

“We understand where we both went wrong. Our children are our utmost priority. Unfortunately because of our toxic past, getting them back together will be impossible,” he continued.

After getting married on 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days season 1 in 2017, Paul and Karine welcomed their sons in March 2019 and February 2021. However, their relationship has been on and off since November 2019 when Paul claimed that Karine had filed for divorce. They returned to reality TV as a couple on 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? season 5 in June 2020 but split again in December 2021 after a video of a heated argument between them went viral. A source told In Touch in April that Paul and Karine were “officially back together,” but their reconciliation did not appear to last long. In early September, amid Paul’s brief disappearance in Brazil, Karine said on Instagram that she did not have contact with her then-estranged husband.