Jason Hitch and Cassia Tavares timeline of updates after 90 Day Fiance
90 Day Fiance fans received the sad news earlier today that Season 2 star Jason Hitch died on Tuesday stemming from complications with COVID 19.
We’ve covered Jason and Cassia extensively during and after their appearance on the show in 2014. Our posts with updates about the couple after being on 90 Day Fiance are getting a lot of traffic in the wake of Jason’s passing, so I thought I would put together a timeline to help everyone get caught up on what happened with Jason and Cassia after leaving the show.
First, let me acknowledge that Jason was a divisive cast member, to say the least. In addition to having quite a few faults on screen, he was very outspoken on social media. And one of the things Jason was most outspoken about what his anti-democrat political stance.
All of that being said, fans of 90 Day Fiance (and all of the resulting spin-offs) have to acknowledge that Jason and Cassia played a HUGE part in the franchise becoming so popular. Season 2 was the break out season for the franchise, and that was thanks mostly to two couples: Danielle and Mohamed, and Jason and Cassia.
The season also featured other memorable couples like Danny and Amy as well as Chelsea and Yamir, but it was Danielle, Mohamed, Jason and Cassia that helped establish some of the trademark international romance cringe that has made the franchise a multi-million dollar industry today. (The Starcasm reddit account has “We’re so idiot” as its flair, which is a nod to Cassia’s famous “You’re so idiot” shirt. And who could ever forget the epic cross-country El Camino road trip for the couple’s destination wedding in Las Vegas?)
Jason is the awkward and much older American dating a very attractive and much younger person from another country. Ah, but Jason isn’t exactly living the American dream. He lives in a small house in Florida with his Swiffer-loving dad. Oh, and his job looks to be buying and selling junk on eBay. Add in some demanding personality traits for Jason and Cassia’s propensity for speaking her mind and you have a prototypical recipe for 90 Day Fiance success! The two were extremely entertaining to watch, and 90 Day Fiance producers took lots of notes.
I can’t say that I agree with a lot of Jason’s views, but I’ve talked to him on multiple occasions over the years and our conversations have been nothing but cordial and respectful. I am deeply saddened to hear about his passing, especially at such a relatively young age.
I’ve also spoken with Cassia on multiple occasions, and she has been even more cordial and respectful. Plus, there’s the added bonus of agreeing with a lot of her views.
Was #90DayFiance’s Jason & Cassia’s real wedding in Florida or Las Vegas? @Cassia__Tavares explains: http://t.co/HPpQj3XvNr @hitch4life 🌴👰🎰
— Starcasm (@starcasm) December 23, 2014
Jason And Cassia’s On-Screen Marriage Was Fake
Jason and Cassia had a very memorable destination wedding in Las Vegas, which capped off the cross-country El Camino road trip I mentioned earlier. Viewers were on the edge of their seats as Jason left Cassia alone in her room and she began to get cold feet.
However, all of the cold feet drama was just for show. Jason and Cassia got married in Florida on October 13, which was prior to filming their Las Vegas nuptials. We shared a copy of the couple’s Florida marriage license prior to the Las Vegas wedding episode airing, and Cassia later confirmed the timeline.
“The wedding in Vegas was just for the show,” Cassia tweeted. “I had no doubt in Vegas because I was already married with Jason.” She then added, “So you can notice that the line I said when I was alone at the bar makes no sense. No comment on production.”
Jason Hitch Domestic Battery Arrest
Jason and Cassia remained together for a couple years after filming for 90 Day Fiance. However, things started to go bad in late 2016. Rumors began swirling online that the two were having serious issues, and it was later confirmed that Cassia had moved out. The serious relationship issues reportedly began to surface after Cassia started attending college in September.
VIDEO #90DayFiance @hitch4life & @Cassia__Tavares on The @IrvineShow: https://t.co/iSTwbjCygV + Jason trashes @RobertIrvine after the fact! pic.twitter.com/2xcEXrxAu8
— Starcasm (@starcasm) May 23, 2017
Jason and Cassia recorded a segment for The Robert Irvine Show in October of 2016 that didn’t air until many months later. The episode highlighted the couple’s relationship issues, and it DID NOT go well for Jason! When Jason shared their episode on Facebook, he said that Robert Irvine is “a limey whanker douche” that had the hots for Cassia and did “everything except reach his limey pervey hands up her pants.”
A few weeks after it was reported that Cassia had moved out in early January of 2017, Jason Hitch was arrested for domestic battery.
We obtained a copy of the police report from the incident. It revealed that Cassia had moved back in with Jason. The two were in bed together when they got into a heated argument. Jason allegedly grabbed Cassia by the arm and pushed her out of bed and onto the floor.
We later spoke with Jason and Cassia about the incident. Jason told us that Cassia was just at the house for weekend, in part because he helped her study. As far as the altercation, Jason couldn’t go into details about the specific allegations. “Cassia and I have two very different ‘styles’ of communicating,” he said. “Sometimes we don’t think before we speak. Cassia gets offended by just about everything. I tend to lose my patience.”
Jason revealed that the two of them were in couples counseling in hopes of making the marriage work.
Cassia told us that she was doing everything in her power to have the charge dropped. She told us that she believed therapy would benefit Jason much more than jail.
Cassia would eventually get her wish as the case was later dismissed.
Jason And Cassia Divorce
The couples counseling did not work out. It was announced in January of 2018 that Jason and Cassia were planning to get a divorce. “I tried everything last year to save whatever we thought we had,” Jason told us at the time. He pointed out that he and Cassia had attended a wide array of concerts and events together, including an Army couples retreat.
“Nothing worked,” Jason said, adding that he felt as though he was the only one who wanted to try to salvage the marriage. “She flipped a switch and that was it…There was nothing I could do.”
Cassia shared a lengthy statement with us about her split from Jason. “He has destroyed everything I felt for him,” Cassia told us. Here’s an excerpt from her statement with some specific details of what she allegedly had to endure while with Jason:
I know who I am and if you follow me, you have an idea of what kind of person I am. He is playing the victim saying he was this wonderful husband who took me to travel with me, but he won’t show you the bad side of his apple. All the sexist jokes I had to hear. All the disrespect and disdain he has for women. All the rules I had to follow just to speak to him. I couldn’t have any opinion. He even fought with me inside the car one day because I was not cutting an orange the way he wanted me to. It was hell. I left everything I knew to be here with this man and I have built my life here, so if you criticize my choice of staying here, you don’t really know much about life and you have not suffered enough to judge me.
EXCLUSIVE #90DayFiance's Cassia Tavares explains why she decided to call it quits with Jason Hitch: https://t.co/rMPpnjQu4C "He has destroyed everything I felt for him."
— Starcasm (@starcasm) January 21, 2018
In January of 2018, Jason filed for divorce from Cassia. However, he withdrew the petition just a couple months later. A reconciliation was not be, and Jason filed for divorce again in September. He got the official word that the divorce was finalized on October 13, 2018 — which was the couple’s four-year wedding anniversary.
According to court records, the divorce was officially entered into the record on October 26. “I’m relieved for ending this chapter of my life,” Cassia told us at the time, “and I am excited to see what the future holds in store for me. I’m ready to spend my time with family and friends to heal myself and I wish Jason luck on his plans.”
Congratulations to #90DayFiance Season 2 star Cassia Tavares as she recently got her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Florida! https://t.co/zPTZfZbTeP @cassia__br #ShesSoNotIdiot 👩🎓🎉
— Starcasm (@starcasm) September 5, 2018
Cassia Graduates College And Gets Married
Prior to the divorce being finalized, Cassia managed to accomplish something great — she graduated college! Cassia received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from the University of South Florida in May of 2018.
After Cassia graduated and her divorce from Jason was finalized, it would be two-and-a-half years before we would share another update on either of them. Oh, but what an update it was!
Cassia got married in Italy to a handsome young Italian man named Giuseppe! Cassia posted a gallery of wedding photos on Instagram on February 12, 2021. “We got married at the courthouse today!” Cassia began her caption. “Sadly, we couldn’t do a bigger ceremony because of COVID,” she continued. “Also, his mom hasn’t been feeling well for some days now, but she made an effort to be with us.”
#90DayFiance Congratulations to Cassia Tavares as she marries her beau Giuseppe in Italy! Check out the wedding pics, and watch a recent video in which Cassia talks about whether or not the show is scripted! https://t.co/6BBtMnwHwJ
— Starcasm (@starcasm) February 13, 2021
“I’m so lucky to have Giuseppe as my husband, a man raised with great values, kind, polite, respectful, that always makes me feel loved!” Cassia fawned. “I love him so much. He’s truly one of a kind.”
Cassia has yet to comment publicly on the passing of Jason.
UPDATE – Cassia has issued a statement via her Instagram stories:
It’s always sad when someone you spent part of your life with stops breathing. I guess one could never be prepared for that. I wasn’t, today. When I started receiving messages, I thought it was a joke. I’m shocked. My condolences to his family and friends. Rest In Peace, Jason.
Asa Hawks is a writer and editor for Starcasm. You can contact Asa via Twitter, Facebook, or email at starcasmtips(at)yahoo.com
