Photo: Facebook
Their families were "horrified" after receiving the photo.
By Nia Tipton — Written on Mar 29, 2023
Cousins Michael Lee and Angela Paeng have gone viral for being a couple after appearing on the Amazon Prime reality series 'Extreme Love,' which follows stories of unusual and unique relationships.
It has been several years since the show first aired and, tragically, Lee has since passed away. However, clips are resurfacing of the couple's unusual dynamic.
Lee and Paeng are in fact related, as they are first cousins. Paeng's dad is the older brother of Lee's mother.
While their relationship has left many people in shock, no one was more surprised by Paeng and Lee's sudden love than their family, who were "horrified" after learning about their romance.
Paeng and Lee told their family about their romantic relationship by sending a photo of them kissing to their family group chat.
Lee and Paeng, both from Eagle Mountain, Utah, appeared on 'Extreme Love' in January 2020 and shared the way they decided to tell their families about their bizarre relationship.
The pair made their relationship public by sending a photo of them kissing in their family's Facebook group chat. The reveal didn't go as smoothly as they would have liked and ended with the two of them being kicked out of the group chat.
Lee and Paeng's parents were "shocked and horrified." Paeng even confessed that their families tried to "keep them apart" after she shared that she had a crush on Lee while they were both young children in primary school.
"It was second grade, we were about eight years old. We immediately clicked and we were like best friends. We were slow dancing in the closet and we got caught kissing," Lee said, likening their relationship to the William Shakespeare play, 'Romeo and Juliet.'
Paeng said she was told by her parents not to pursue any romantic relationship with Lee, her first cousin. "I got pulled aside by my parents and they said, 'What is going on?' And my mom said, 'Cool it, Angie.'"
They decided to rekindle their relationship after a decade had passed.
Paeng and Lee revealed that upon seeing each other after ten years of no contact, they realized there was still a spark there and decided to be together.
"Nine months ago, we saw each other for the first time in 10 years, and just fireworks," Paeng said. "It felt like we picked up where we left off."
In 2019, the two decided they wanted to marry, but were forced to drive to Grand Junction, Colorado, since it was illegal for them to be married in Utah. Utah does allow cousins to be married if both parties are 65 or older, or both are 55 or older with a district court finding of infertility of either party.
Paeng and Lee, after getting married, decided they wanted to have children of their own.
In an interview with the NY Post, Paeng revealed that she and Lee were excited to have children and even did genetic testing to make sure there would be no complications if they did conceive.
“We had to do our due diligence because everyone was saying to us, ‘No, don’t do that,’ and ‘It’s so risky and irresponsible,'” Peang told the publication. “So we did genetic testing and found out it was OK for us to parent together.”
However, the couple briefly faced the possibility of five years in prison and/or receiving a fine of up to $10,000, since intercourse between cousins is illegal in their home state due to the possibility of birth defects.
According to a 2018 Columbia University study, the chances of cousins having a genetic disorder is 4 to 7%, compared to 3 to 4% for non-related couples.
The couple, who suffered a miscarriage before falling pregnant again, welcomed their son Eric in May 2020. However, in July 2021, Paeng revealed in a YouTube video that Lee passed away after having a seizure while at work.
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics.