Age of Attraction Star Derrick Reveals He Dated Viral Plane Passenger Tiffany Gomas

Here is a crossover I did not have on my bingo card: one of Netflix 's Age of Attraction guys used to date the woman the internet dubbed 'crazy plane lady.' And yes, there is actual history there, not just a thirsty DM and a selfie.

So, who are we talking about?

Derrick Fleming, 43, from Age of Attraction season 1 (Netflix's age-gap dating series), says he and Tiffany Gomas, 41, were a thing back in 2021. He told TMZ they dated for about a year, and it was serious enough that she helped him through the death of his father. After they split, they stayed on decent terms and reconnected a few times. The last check-in was almost a year before he landed the Netflix gig.

They still talk?

Apparently enough that before the show aired, he asked her how to handle the whole sudden-public-figure thing and whatever negative press might come with it. He says she was supportive, and he appreciated it. He even shared a throwback photo of the two of them hugging: he is in a button-down with striped pants and sneakers; she is in a white two-piece with a front-wrapped crop top tied into a bow and matching boho pants. Us Weekly says they have reached out to both for comment.

About Tiffany Gomas and that flight

This is the same Tiffany Gomas who went viral in July 2023 after a video surfaced of her demanding to be let off an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Orlando before takeoff. She was visibly upset and said someone on the plane was 'not real' while telling everyone else they could stay and deal with the consequences if they wanted. The moment turned into a meme and, fair or not, she owned the nickname in an August 2023 video, calling 'crazy plane lady' completely warranted. That same month, she apologized on X and took full responsibility for the outburst. Later, on a November 2023 appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast, she clarified that she did not literally see anything supernatural; it was a figure of speech during a verbal clash with a male passenger.

'that motherf***er back there is not real'

Why this is a little wild

Fleming is now on a Netflix show specifically about age-gap relationships, and the person he quietly dated right before all this blew up is the internet's most infamous airplane passenger. You cannot script that.

Quick timeline

• 2021: Derrick Fleming and Tiffany Gomas date for roughly a year; she supports him after his father's death.
• July 2023: Gomas' pre-takeoff American Airlines incident goes viral (Dallas to Orlando), sparking the 'not real' meme.
• August 2023: She posts a video calling the 'crazy plane lady' tag completely warranted and separately apologizes on X, taking full accountability.
• November 2023: On Pardon My Take, she says she did not literally see anything; her comment was a figure of speech directed at a man she argued with.
• Pre-Age of Attraction: Almost a year before Derrick is cast, he and Tiffany last reconnect; before the show airs, he asks her for advice on handling the spotlight.

Bottom line: before reality TV and meme fame collided, these two already had a real, fairly normal relationship, complete with tough times, mutual support, and now, the weirdest kind of pop-culture overlap.