Before reality TV romance and viral fame collided, one Age of Attraction star had a plot twist of his own.
Derrick Fleming, 43, who appears on season 1 of the hit Netflix series about age-gap relationships, told TMZ that he previously dated Tiffany Gomas — who addressed herself as the “crazy plane lady” in a video posted in August 2023.
Gomas said it was a nickname that was “completely warranted” after becoming an internet meme due to a meltdown on a flight that year, famously declaring “that motherf***er back there is not real” to a fellow passenger.
Fleming and Gomas, 41, were seeing each other for roughly one year back in 2021, and he told TMZ she was a great support during a difficult time for him, revealing that she helped him cope with the death of his father.
Fleming said they remained friendly and reconnected a few times after going their separate ways, the last of which was almost a year before he was cast on the show.
He shared a beaming throwback photo of the two in a side embrace, in which he wore a button-down top with striped pants and sneakers. Gomas rocked a two-piece set with a white crop top that wrapped around the front, tied into a bow, paired with matching boho pants.
“Before the show aired, I leaned on her for advice on how to deal with the pressure of being in the public eye and the negative press I may receive,” he shared about their bond. “She’s been very supportive with all this for me [and I’m] truly appreciative of that.”
Luxury Handbag Shopping has reached out to Fleming and Gomas for comment.
Gomas, for her part, made headlines in July 2023 when a video emerged of her demanding to be let off an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Orlando before takeoff.
While stunned onlookers watched the drama unfold, she was seen visibly distressed, yelling, “I’m telling you, I’m getting the f*** off and there’s a reason why I’m getting the f*** off and everyone can either believe it or they cannot believe it.”
Gomas said she saw someone that was “not real,” adding, “You can sit on this plane, and you can die with them or not. I’m not going to.”
She later apologized for her “unacceptable” actions in a statement shared via X that August, taking “full accountability.”
“We all have our bad moments, some far worse than others,” Gomas added. “And mine happened to be caught on camera for the whole world to see multiple times.”
As for what she witnessed on the flight, “I literally did not see anything … It was an expression of speech,” Gomas revealed during a November 2023 appearance on the “Pardon My Take” podcast. She noted her remark was directed at a man with whom she had a verbal altercation.
