The curse of reality TV has resulted in many marriages, couples divorcing after sharing their lives with the public and prying cameras.
But Love and Marriage: Detroit Couple Anthony and Dr LaToya Thompson say they are not concerned about the curse because their union is rooted in faith.
The Thompsons are one of three couples featured in the new unscripted series OWN.
Related storyOWN’s ‘Ready to Love’ Moves to Dallas for Season 8
Urban Hollywood 411 spoke with the couple about how they’ve been able to maintain their marriage for 14 years.
“We have ups and downs, like everyone else, but our foundations are solid,” LaToya said. “And so if our foundation is strong, I don’t think anything can come and knock us out of our place.”
Anthony pointed out, he is not affected by the curse.
“One thing in our faith, we break all the curses, it’s not even something that’s going to affect us because of our belief in our faith,” he explained.
Related story: ‘Belle Collective’ Star Tambra Cherie on Season 3, Boundaries and Avoiding Negative Energy
Other couples featured in the series are Russell and Kolby Harris, and Brandon and Kristina Bowman Smith.
The show comes from reality TV creator Carlos King and his Kingdom Reign Entertainment.
After a successful launch Love marriage editions in Huntsville and Washington, DC, King decided to expand the franchise to his hometown of Detroit.
Although Motor City is not known as the mecca of reality television, King noted that he has had success with his other shows choosing locations other than New York, Los Angeles, Miami or Atlanta.
“Huntsville was never on anyone’s radar until I put them on the map. The success of BelleCollective has a lot to do with Jackson, Mississippi being a town people don’t know much about,” King said via Zoom. “It always goes in the cities, you least expect it.”
King added, “I want to keep showing cities that the world hasn’t been exposed to.”
All three couples in the new series have “deep ties” to Detroit and have decided to stay in the city as it attempts to return after years of economic problems and demographic decline.
The reality TV newcomers all knew each other before joining the show, which King says makes their on-camera interactions feel more authentic.
“It definitely helps when they have a rich history because it shows you that they have an investment in each other and care about each other,” he explained.
Love and Marriage: Detroit is produced by Carlos King, Angela Dugan, Brent Nisbett and Tarin Laughlin.
The series airs Saturday, June 24 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on OWN, following a new episode of Love and Marriage: Huntsville at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Below are details on the three married couples featured in the new series:
The Harrises
Russell and Kolby Harris are a young couple who have been married for three years and share a two-year-old daughter. Because he considers himself the head of the family, Russell makes the decision to start attending theological school even before consulting his wife, and Kolby thinks she should be more involved in these important family decisions. She’s the daughter of a pastor and isn’t sure she wants to revisit this world a second time as an adult.
Russell also runs a non-profit organization called Soar Detroit which focuses on literacy and sports. Kolby is a rising influencer on social media, which is causing a rift with some of the more established influencers in the group. Kristina and Kolby are like sisters and both are in the social media influencer space. However, the friends become at odds when an opportunity to collaborate arises and Kristina fears joining forces. This leads to the two having a disagreement which affects their husbands who are also friends.
The Smiths
Brandon and Kristina Bowman-Smith have been married for 11 years and have two young daughters. The couple reside in a penthouse overlooking Detroit. Kristina is a well-known fashion designer, stylist, and influencer in Detroit, and Brandon is the owner of Star Factory, an artist development program, where he trains young Detroiters with a dream of becoming singers and recording artists.
The pair are going through marital woes with Brandon’s desire to become the Barry Gordy of 2023 with his showcase showcasing Detroit’s musical talent. But Kristina is strong in her faith and isn’t always thrilled when Brandon has to go out to clubs for his talent development business, which has created tension between them since their marriage. Brandon also has a secret he doesn’t share with his wife, which is that he’s been working with a few new female artists in Detroit, but when Kristina finds out… all hell breaks loose.
The Thompsons
Anthony and Dr. LaToya Thompson have been married for 14 years and share two sons. Currently, Anthony works for the Live Nation touring company and owns a production studio. In this household, LaToya is the breadwinner as a successful sports physical therapist and owner of Opulence Wines, but you’ll never hear Anthony admit that. In fact, when Anthony was offered a production job in Atlanta, he accepted the job and temporarily moved to Atlanta against his wife’s wishes, eventually moving back to Detroit once LaToya set foot.
Anthony has also started a men’s organization whose goal is for men to have a way to discuss the root of the issue that affects men in relationships and life. He even organizes a march of the men’s movement in the city of Detroit and invites “Love & Marriage: Huntsville” star (and Michigan native) Marsau Scott to be a guest speaker. Meanwhile, LaToya struggles as a black wine owner in a predominantly white business and disagrees with her husband who suggests he helped start the business.