*Monique, the fan-favorite returning to “Love During Lockup,” has undergone a dramatic transformation since viewers last saw her.
After losing 100 pounds and splitting from her ex on “Love After Lockup,” she’s relocated to Cleveland, Ohio, for a fresh start—and a new romance with Titus, an inmate she’s never met in person. The new season of the popular docuseries debuted January 16, with new episodes airing weekly on We TV and streaming on All Reality, AMC Networks’ new streaming service delivering the best in unscripted reality content and AMC+.
The move to Ohio wasn’t just about a geographic change; it was specifically for Titus.
“I moved to Ohio specifically for Titus. It was more like, okay, we knew we were serious about each other. But we did want to get to know each other while he still had a little bit of time,” Monique explained. “So, it was like, okay, I’m gonna move here. I’m gonna come visit you. We’re gonna get to know each other more.”
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A Leap of Faith Without Reservations
Deciding to relocate for someone she’d never met in person was a bold move, but Monique didn’t hesitate. She revealed that she deliberately kept her plans private to avoid outside interference with her decision-making process.
“I did not have any reservations. When I have my mind set on something, I don’t talk about it with nobody because I don’t want anybody to try to talk me out of it or make me have second thoughts,” she shared. “It was something that I knew that I wanted to do. I kind of kept it to myself until a little bit before I moved. I kind of told my family…. my lease is already signed. I already paid my rent. So, I’m leaving.”
A Different Kind of Love
Monique’s relationship with Titus stands in stark contrast to her previous relationship on “Love After Lockup.” She was with her ex for two years before gracing the “Love After Lockup” stage, facing a series of challenges that tested the strength of their bond. Their journey was marked by stormy episodes, with Monique resorting to extreme measures to quell her insecurities about his fidelity.
When asked how her relationship with Titus differs from her past, Monique explained, “My relationship is different with Titus because he uplifts me. He has a really good relationship with God. He’s just overall a peaceful person. He doesn’t make me feel insecure at all. The trust is 100 percent there. It’s just peaceful,” she said.
However, this season’s synopsis mentions that Titus wants to keep tabs on Monique and has admitted uncertainty about their future together. Monique clarified that what might appear as trust issues is actually Titus being protective of her in his hometown.
“I don’t think Titus has a trust issue. I think more so with him, he’s very overprotective of me. He’s like that with his family as well,” she explained. “I think more so he’s just being protective and want to make sure I’m OK since I’m in Ohio, which is his city, by myself.”
The Challenges of Prison Romance
The prequel to “Love After Lockup,” “Love During Lockup,” follows six people outside of prison through the early stages of their romance with an inmate. For Monique, the biggest hurdle in building a relationship with Titus is the physical distance between them.
“The biggest challenge is not being with him physically. It’s just trying to make it work with what we have. What we have is video visits, phone calls and in-person visits. That’s pretty much all we have at the moment,” she said.
Despite these challenges, Monique found herself drawn back to dating someone behind bars after unsuccessful attempts at connecting with men on the outside. She candidly shared how she stumbled upon Titus’s profile on Write A Prisoner during a moment of boredom.
“Before I met Titus, I was dating men who were free, but we wasn’t having that mental or emotional connection. I felt like they wasn’t intentional. It was really hard to get to know them on a deeper level,” Monique revealed. “And I was just like, bored one night. So, I was like, let me get on Write A Prisoner and try to try this again. And he was literally on the first scroll. I saw him, and I was immediately attracted to him. I reached out to him, and we clicked instantly. It just felt easy, nothing was hard about it.”
Preference vs. Connection
When pressed about whether she prefers dating inmates, Monique made it clear that her ideal relationship involves a man who is free, but not at the expense of a genuine connection. Her answer reflected the complexity of choosing between physical presence and emotional compatibility.
“I prefer a man that’s out. Because I love to do couple things, like going out on dates, traveling. I enjoy being in the presence of a man, but what’s being in the presence of a man if you don’t have that mental or emotional connection?” she said. “So, I feel like Titus, he’ll be released soon, and I’ll be able to get the kind of relationship that I really want, which is physical, obviously.”
Learning Self-Love
Reflecting on her past relationship, Monique identified the key lesson she’s carried forward into her romance with Titus: the importance of self-love. She acknowledged that entering her previous relationship from a place of insecurity led to settling for less than she deserved.
“The advice that I would give to myself before I met my ex would be to love yourself because I felt at that time when I got into that relationship, I didn’t love myself. I was very insecure, and I felt like I was settling just to have somebody,” Monique admitted. “I feel like this relationship, I’m definitely taking my own advice. Although people probably feel like I’m not, because I’m dating another inmate, our relationship dynamic is completely different from how it was with my ex. Titus, he uplifts me. He’s always motivating me. He makes me feel so secure. I don’t feel insecure with him. The trust is there.”
Addressing the Critics
Monique is well aware that critics are judging her current relationship based on her past experiences. She’s prepared to let Titus prove himself to skeptics who might assume all incarcerated men are the same.
“They could judge me from my last relationship because, yes, I was with a man who constantly cheated on me. I stayed in that relationship because, like I said, obviously, at that time, I didn’t know my worth. I didn’t love myself. So, okay, cool. Judge me for that,” she said. “But I feel like Titus gets a lot of flak because of my ex… they don’t really know him. They’re just judging. They think all men in prison are the same. I can say this is one of the best relationships that I’ve ever been in. I feel like they have to continue to watch the show, and they will see he’s very honest. He’s pure, and people will see for themselves that there’s no similarities with Titus and my ex.”
Looking Toward the Future
When Titus is released after serving 14 and a half years, Monique has clear priorities for their relationship. Rather than rushing into marriage and children, she wants to give him time to readjust to freedom and rebuild relationships with his family, including his son.
“Once Titus is released, first and foremost, he’s been gone for, by the time he gets out, he’ll have been incarcerated for 14 and a half years. I definitely want him to rebuild relationships with his family, his son,” Monique shared. “I’m not in a rush to progress our relationship as far as marriage and kids, but that’s something that I do want in a future, but not immediately. Once he gets out, I want him to get settled cause it’s been a long time since he’s been free. I’m not trying to press him with a whole lot of stuff. I need him to deal with (what’s) on his plate right now. And then, you know, we have time to figure out our future.”
“Love During Lockup” asks questions like, how do you stay human in the face of a dehumanizing system? How do you build love and trust when you have to live apart and behind bars? How do you keep the romance alive when every phone call has a price? For Monique and Titus, the answers are still unfolding.
Watch our full conversation with the reality TV star via the clip below.
*This interview had been edited for length and clarity.
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