Michelle Lee
Sun, August 16, 2026 at 9:00 AM UTC
NEED TO KNOW
90 Day Fiancéstar Tyray Mollett made his debut on the television series while he was in an online relationship; he reveals that at the time he was over 400 lbs
In a year, Mollett underwent gastric sleeve surgery for weight loss and then a hair transplant
He shares how it’s impacted his confidence and the future of his dating life
Those tuned into TLC’s90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Daysmay know Tyray Mollett as the guy who was scammed and catfished, but he’s not letting the rejection define him
It all started in 2023, when cameras followed California-based Mollett and his four-year online relationship with a Barbadian woman named Carmella. But he never got his happy ending after production discovered that his one love was really a man named Christian, who he had given thousands of dollars to under the guise of what turned out to be made-up romance
Mollett, now 36, was emotionally vulnerable after the incident. “After the whole situation…I kind of was like, I don’t trust anyone. I have relationship issues, trust issues and all that,” he tells PEOPLE. But he admits, “It helped in a huge way.”
He realized that things in life happen when they’re meant to, and while the rejection hurt, it inspired him to make serious life changes, starting with his weight
“I kind of grew up a big boy. I gained weight at 7, 8 years old, and I just got bigger and bigger,” he explains, calling the experience “tough,” especially in terms of kids his age and adults throwing “fat jokes” and shaming his appearance. By the time he made his television debut, Mollett weighed 418 lbs., with his weight fluctuating up and down by about 30 lbs
Mollett considered weight loss surgery in 2019, but the side effects made the idea of it less appealing. It wasn’t until the cameras stopped rolling when he committed to medical intervention. The deciding moment? “My mom was in the hospital, and I’m going to check on her, and I’m out of breath. I’m like, wow, this isn’t good. I can’t take care of her and myself. So I told myself I have to make some changes.”
He underwent gastric sleeve surgery in February 2025, and the side effects, which originally put him off the procedure at first, started kicking in. Hair loss from shock was one that occurred and exaggerated his past concerns about his hairline
“My hair started thinning when I was 21, so I was really young, and the edges were coming out,” Mollett says. By 25, his hairline had taken on a U-shaped appearance, so for almost 10 years, his goal was to get a “new hairline” with fullness
At first, Mollett considered flying overseas to Turkey, wanting to find a clinic that specialized in Black hair. But, he found Goals Aesthetic & Plastic Surgery a little closer to home in Atlanta. There, he underwent a hair transplant that involved 2,500 grafts this past February; he later showed how the transformation was done on social media
For the duration of the nearly 10-hour surgery (“The other hard part was that you’re basically laying on your stomach for four hours and then your back for four hours”), Mollett was awake but with the procedure site numbed
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Now, six months out, he’s on a haircare routine including minoxidil, tretinoin and a speciality shampoo. His results have yet to fully settle in, but he’s feeling more like himself than ever before. “I feel a lot more confident and comfortable,” he says. “It has inspired me to put myself back out there,” meaning he’s ready to find romance. “I am looking to date now. I’m not so scared. I don’t feel like I’m a scary beast anymore.”
He’s also looking to get a “few more things done” to his appearance in terms of cosmetic work. “Funny story, while I was actually in Atlanta getting the hair transplant, [the clinic] wanted to do my neck.” Mollett reveals that he considered J-Plasma involving cold plasma and helium gas to tighten loose skin, which Mollett wanted to address after his weight loss. Right now, he wants to undergo a procedure for his chest and stomach. His “inspiration” right now, too, is losing 45 more pounds.
As for his journey on 90 Day Fiancé, Mollett is open to living his life in public again. “I love traveling, so I think that’d be a good experience to do it again, since last time I kind of got duped out of it. I have been hanging out with other 90 Daycast members, so they’ve been pushing me out there too.”
Read the original article on People
