‘Love & Marriage: D.C.’: EP Carlos King on Explosive Season 2 (Exclusive)

Love & Marriage: Huntsville’s spinoff Love & Marriage: D.C. is back for a second season. The series takes viewers into the lives of three D.C. powerhouse couples at different stages of their marriages and businesses. Executive produced by the self-proclaimed “King of Reality TV,” Carlos King, he insists this season is one not to miss, despite the exits of former Real Housewives of Potomac alums Chris and Monique Samuels. Monique’s exit comes amid reports that she and Chris are separated and headed to divorce. While they acknowledge they are trying a trial separation and live in separate homes, they say it’s aiding their marriage for the better. In fact, Monique found it suspect that once she says she decided to leave the show as a result of contract disputes, the report about her marital trouble was leaked.

While the Samuels’ are no longer part of the cast, DJ Quick Silva and his wife Ashley Silva, and Jamie Tyler and his wife Erana Tyler, are back. The second season will also introduce a new power couple to the group, Joi Carter and Clifton Pettie, who appeared on fellow OWN series Ready to Love in 2021. The newly engaged couple are longtime friends of cast members the Tylers, and have formed a bond with the Silvas. Controversial friend to the show Winter Williams is also back, and she’s trying to make amends with the group after a contentious reunion taping.

Ahead of the Season 2 premiere debuting on Jan. 21, Popculture.com spoke with King about all that’s expected this season. Watch the full video interview above.

PC: So congratulations on Season 2 of Love and Marriage D.C. Now let’s get right into it because I know you have a lot going on today. You guys lost Chris and Monique Samuels. She said that it was due to contract disputes. Do you agree, or do you feel as if her exit had more to do with her marital trouble or alleged separation?

CK: Well, look, the beauty of my relationship with the cast is I want to make sure that they’re happy. And I feel like in any situation, whether it’s work or at home, you should not be a part of anything if it’s not fulfilling you in the way you want to be fulfilled. And the fact that she decided to depart due to what she felt was important for her, I respect that. And the beauty of the exit of the Samuels, who I love, and we are still cool, and there’s no beef, is the fact that we have the opportunity, Brenda, to bring on new people that the Silvas and the Tylers were real friends with and had a rich history with. So when you watch this season premiere of Love and Marriage D.C. on the 21st of January at eight o’clock, you’re going to see that. And you’re going to see like, ‘Oh, this feels like a brand new show. It feels different.’ And that’s the beauty of it. So I love Monique, and I can’t wait until Monique is back on TV doing all the wonderful things that she wants to do.

PC: Now, you said that there’s a beauty in obviously being able to introduce new characters, but how did you go about pivoting with casting with the existing crew so early in the franchise with their exit? Obviously, they have genuine relationships with the existing cast members, but we all know that viewers can be hard to impress with new faces, as we’ve learned on Love and Marriage: Huntsville.

CK: Yeah, no, and that was the thing. So the interesting part about the day Monique decided to leave, we were already shooting for six weeks. So these new relationships, these new couples, these new faces, they started Day 1. And what we did, Brenda, is we mapped out – regardless if Monique was coming back or not – who the Silvas have real connections with in real life. And the same for the Tylers. So we were already filming that. When you watch this new season, the reason why you feel like that damn Carlos King, he don’t skip a beat, is because you should always understand the rule of reality TV, which is people like to make sure that they are organic relationships. Unlike other reality shows, we don’t do a casting call and get a stranger from the Piggly Wiggly and say, “Come to work child, and you don’t know these folks.” We make sure that we cast people who are great.

So when you think about Joi and Clifton from Ready to Love, I knew that that was something special. Not only because they were friends with Jamie and Erana for over a year in D.C. in terms of being couple friends. Whereas Jamie and Clifton knew each other for years. So when Clifton met Joi, that’s when Clifton brought Joi around Erana. So you get to see that relationship unfold. So we don’t skip a beat. It is the best season ever. It feels like a brand-new show. And one thing I know about the Love and Marriage audience is they trust me, and they say, “OK, Carlos, if you say so.” And then they’re like, “Carlos, you were actually right.” So you’re going to feel that way this season.

PC: OK, well, I hope that you’re right. So another returning phase is Winter. Now, we didn’t know at the end of the season if she would return because it was such a contentious reunion for her, but fans of the show are excited about her return. But where exactly does she fit in with the group after having such a rough season and sort of being on the outs with the rest of the cast? And how did you go about intertwining her again this season? Or what was your advice to her?

CK: Yeah, so again, the beauty of this franchise is we only talk to people who have real connections. So we have a friend to the show named Sharelle and her husband Black, and they are one of the pillars of D.C. nightlife. So when Winter wrote the song, “Sign Those Papers,” last season, the producer of that was this man named Black. Black has a history in business with Joi from Ready to Love. And Black is married to this wonderful woman named Sharelle. Sharelle and Winter formed a friendship. And Sharelle was friends years ago with Ashley and was a co-host on Ashley’s podcast. So Winter formed a relationship with people that already was friends with the other couples. So it wasn’t like Winter had to come and grab and say, “Pick me. Choose me. Love me.” You get to see how this amazing maze, if you will, of Winter navigating through this world. Because Sharelle was like, Ashley’s my girl, so I’m going to make sure that Ashley knows that we all need to chit-chat. And you’re going to see that. And one thing I’ll say, Brenda, is you are going to be very surprised how that all ends up.

PC: And obviously, the Silvas are returning. And you’ve been open about the feeling that you believe that Ashley is the star of the show, but there are some viewers who disagree with your stance. What-

CK: I didn’t say the star, Brenda. I said, she’s a star.

PC:  You said she’s a star.

CK: She’s a star.

PC: Some people took it as you’re saying, she was the star of the show, and some people vocally disagreed with that. But what made you make that statement publicly? And what is your response to those who say that she has a mean girl persona because of the things that transpired last season?

CK: Well, I said it publicly because I don’t say anything that I don’t mean. Ashley Silva is a star, and I stand by that. And when it comes to people saying, “Well, does that mean she’s the star of the show?” Never said that. But that goes show you how people twist my words, child. But Ashley is somebody who the moment she popped up on screen, you were like, who is this girl? And Ashley’s polarizing.

And the one thing I know about a star, you either love them or hate them. A star is not somebody where everyone loves them or everyone hates them. It’s one of the two. So when people say, “Well, Carlos, I think she’s a mean girl.” That’s fine, means nothing to me and my statement. If anything, it sort of corroborates my statement because I’ve been producing reality TV for over 15 years. I work with stars. People love Nene [Leakes]. There’s people who hate Nene [Leakes]. There’s people who love Melody [Holt]. There’s people who can’t stand Melody [Holt]. I still think they’re stars. And I know that when it comes to a star is somebody who you either love to hate or hate to love, and Ashley Silva has that qualification.

PC: And finally, what is your excitement for Season 2? What are you hoping that viewers get out of this season now that we’re obviously one season in and we have more episodes so we have more time to delve into these characters and these stars of yours?

CK: Yes. So one thing I know about a Season 1 show, it’s sort of like a debut album of an artist, right? A debut album of an artist, you’re getting to know them, their musicality, who they are as an artist. And the moment their sophomore album comes out, you’re like,’ OK, honey, I know exactly who this person is.’ So I relate that to reality television. Season one is an introduction to people. It’s sort of like, ‘Who are you? Where did you come from? Where were you born? How did you meet? How long y’all known each other?’ You have to spend so many episodes explaining that down to a science, right?

The beauty of this season, Brenda, is the fact that y’all already know that. So we’re getting right into it. And in the premiere episode, we are diving right into how the cast is reacting to what’s happening in the press with the Samuels, because that was happening in real-time and I followed the reality. It wasn’t like we did a pickup scene, child. That happened in real-time. In addition to that, you get to see the Tylers, Jamie and Erana, deal with their oldest son, LJ. Last season, you saw that he was on the road to redemption. You’re like, ‘Now what happened now?’ 

And then you get to see how that travels through the rest of this season. So Love and Marriage: D.C.,Season 2, feels like a brand new season. New faces, new drama, new connections, new dynamics that all equals to an amazing season.

Love & Marriage: D.C. Season 2 premieres Saturday, Jan. 21 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on OWN.