'90 Day Fiancé': Kobe Defends Telling Emily She Gained Weight and Reacts to Her Having a Type (Exclusive)

90 Day Fiancé season 9 standout couple Emily and Kobe are opening about their unique love story and a few on-camera moments between them that are already getting fans talking. The couple spoke with ET's Melicia Johnson about how they met as well as Kobe's blunt comment in the trailer that Emily had gained weight after they reunited in an airport, which appeared to have completely shocked her.

Emily, a 29-year-old Kansas native, met 34-year-old Kobe (who's from Cameroon) when she was in China teaching English and he was working as an underwear model. During the 90 Day Fiancé season 9 premiere, Emily said she noticed Kobe while at a club and knew that she had to get to know him. Emily also told cameras that she "loves Black guys." Kobe shares with ET that he's all for Emily's assertive nature, and that she actually followed him to the bathroom at the club to go talk to him after she noticed him. 

"I mean, she was hot," he recalls. "And I'm like, wow. I asked her where's she's from and she said the U.S., and I'm like, OK, easy. It's not easy for a girl to approach you in my culture, where I come from, if a girl's gonna approach you, it means a lot. One-night stand, yeah. And I was laughing, like, easy, you know?"

As for Emily owning up to having a type, he notes, "She goes for what she wants and that's something that I love about her. And she has a strong, like, whatever she wants she's gonna go for it, no matter what. I've always admired a girl who fights for what she wants, you know?"

Emily joked that she also thought Kobe was "easy" and talked about noticing him first.

"My first real boyfriend was a Black guy," she shares. "My high school, we had I think, like, two Black guys, like, not that many at all. I don't know, I was just always attracted to them, you know? Like, they're so hot, you know? So, I just saw Kobe and I was like, 'He's my type,' big arms, like, that's my type ... that's just what I go for."

Emily admitted that things could have gone badly.

"He's the nicest guy I've ever been with," she gushes. "It just blows my mind that I met him in China at a bar. Like, thank God he is as great as he is because I could've ended up with someone totally opposite than him and, like, to this day I am mind-blown."

As for their airport reunion featured in the trailer, she said that despite the weight comment, the moment was incredible.

"I was really emotional, I hadn't seen him in two years and, like, I was really worried about our connection," she admits. "I was so worried that two years went by, I look so different, you know? I had our son [Koban], I was a size six when I met him and then I had gained all this baby weight. I hadn't lost it yet so I was really, really worried about that but then when we saw each other, it was seriously like nothing changed."

"I don't know, it was really joyful," she continues, getting emotional just recalling the special moment. "It was everything I wanted, I was so excited."

Meanwhile, Kobe explained that he meant no harm when he noted that she had gained weight.

"You know, it's a cultural difference kind of thing," he says. "And besides, even before I came over she kept bugging me like, 'You know I've gained weight,' and stuff like that. I understand if you gain weight it's because of the baby and the weight thing can always be worked upon. You can always do something about your weight if you want the weight to go away. So, that is not something that would disturb me. If you love somebody, it's not just about the size, you know? Size, weight should be the least of the things. So when I made that comment that she's gained weight, I mean, I love her for who she is and we can always do something about her weight gain. It's not like I'm mad or angry and besides, if I was back home, if someone says, 'You've gained weight,' it's like ... you're living a healthy life."

Emily noted she wasn't offended by his blunt observation.

"I mean, he wasn't wrong," she points out. "I did gain weight. ... and it's not every woman drops the [baby] weight immediately nor should they have to."

But clearly, Kobe supports Emily in every way.

"You as a man, you have to understand the sacrifices that a woman has made, especially gaining that weight, so you have to make her get confidence in herself," he says. "Most women after they gain weight they have constant low self-esteem, but as men, you need to figure out how you can lift them up despite if she's gained weight. So I try to, as much as I can, to make that happen with her."

Both Kobe and Emily acknowledged that they were nervous about Kobe coming to live in Salina, Kansas, given he would definitely feel like a minority in the small town, but the two have been pleasantly surprised.

"So far, it's a beautiful experience," Kobe says. "It's a beautiful place to start a family. I'm loving it."

"I just try to be real, you know, this is who I am," he continues. "I have my philosophy, I try to do the same things that if you do the same things to me I won't get offended. It's just living with her sometimes drives me crazy."

90 Day Fiancé airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on TLC. 

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