*Fan favorites Justine and Michael Persaud are back on “Life After Lockup,” which premiered August 1, with new episodes streaming every Friday on We TV, ALLBLK, and AMC+. This season, the couple, now parents of nine, are tackling their most ambitious project yet: a big fat Indian (and non-prison) wedding.
“It’s nice because I haven’t not been on the show in so many seasons where I’m not pregnant,” Justine said. “So I feel like it’s going to be good. It’s going to show the viewers a different side to me, more getting back to myself and trying to see who I am without the mother label. I feel like it is extremely hard when you have this many kids. Everything is a juggling act. But I feel like we do all right.”
The inspiration for the wedding came from Michael’s heritage. “I feel like it was deriving from his cultural background,” Justine explained. “I know that he has expressed, his mother has expressed, that that’s something that his grandmother would appreciate. So I definitely wanted to tap into that… if I’m going to do it, it’s going to be over the top for sure.”
Michael is equally enthusiastic. “I’m honored because it just shows her selflessness… not a lot of people take the time to even learn their partner’s cultures,” he said. “So I’m excited that she wants a big Indian one. I would love to have that with my wife, honestly.”
This season also brings a new level of openness. “We’re a little more transparent because when we started, we were doing the whole covering the mic, don’t say too much,” Michael shared. “I think this season we just pull back the curtains a bit… you need to be a little more transparent because everything isn’t perfect.”
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For Justine, last season’s pregnancy storyline drew intense scrutiny. “I got a lot of criticism. I think a lot of it hurt me a lot,” she admitted. “Anybody that really knows me knows Justine doesn’t have any other choice. It’s been me and my daughter since I was a teenager. And she’s been the only consistent person in my boys’ life.”
Despite the challenges, the couple says fan support outweighs negativity. “We got more love than anything,” Michael said. “People confide in us and they write us these paragraphs… and I’m honored by that because… they’re seeing the growth and it reassures me that I’m on the right path.”
Even sensitive topics—like sharing their son’s autism diagnosis—were approached with honesty. “He is my son. And he is my family,” Justine said. “Though he has caught some backlash at school, I try to remind him that he now has a platform and we can help other kids.”
After six seasons together, Justine says outside noise doesn’t shake their bond. “As long as you always continue to put the relationship first, there’s nothing that an outsider can tell me… there’s nothing you’re going to say to be able to disrupt me. My crown doesn’t fall off that easy.”
Watch our full conversation with Justine and Michael below.
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