Justine and Michael are one of the most popular couples on WeTV’s Life After Lockup, and it was exciting to get the chance to talk with them.
Unlike some of the other couples on the reality show, Michael and Justine always face their drama together, which is one of the things that makes them inspiring.
Check out their thoughts on life together on and off-screen, and if you haven’t finished watching the latest season of Life After Lockup yet, they have a sneak peek for you, too.
One of the things I find so inspiring is that you show that after prison, you don’t have to stay in that life. You can put your life together, you can find love. And I think that’s a really important message.
Michael: I think after meeting Justine, I was able to separate my mind from prison, so I was able to feel free at one point.
Justine: I feel like it took him time.
This summer, I remember we were upstairs. We’re in our room, we’re having a conversation about something, and I think it was the way he responded, along with his body language. And I looked at him, and I just stared for a second. I was like, Oh, you’ve made it. Welcome back.
Like it took you years to relearn things, to learn yourself again. And it’s just like, Oh, you’re here. Hello. And it was a really important moment.
I know, Justine, you have said in other interviews that you always wanted to be on reality TV. Was it the same for you, Mike?
Justine: No, never! He never wanted to do reality TV.
And then all of a sudden, his cellmate at the time had a girlfriend who was watching the show. I had never even watched the show, and he had come back and told him, “You know, I think you and your girlfriend would be great at this show.”
And so when he came and told me, I was like, let me get on this before I lose my opportunity, and he changes his mind.
Michael: So, a little backstory.
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We were talking about creating a vision board and manifesting. We literally had a paper. We wrote down some goals, and we’ve manifested every single thing on there, but one thing still left. From our daughter to our son to our home, to the TV, everything is on that list.
So reality TV was on there when she sent me the list.
And I do know some other people who are on other reality shows and stuff. So reality TV wasn’t hard to get a hold of but when she hit me back and they were setting up an interview, I said, “Shit, we got to do it.”
The only reason I didn’t want to do reality TV was because I was doing music, and I didn’t want to put the two together, and I don’t want people not to take my music seriously because I’m on a relationship show.
But I’m glad I did it, because it has created a bond for us.
Justine: I think that it was necessary. I just feel like, obviously, we’ll do reality TV. Why wouldn’t we?
I feel like you have to be a very special and specific kind of person and relationship to be on reality TV and to be successful within it, and I feel like we fit the measurements for that perfectly.
It seems like your manifesting, your personalities, and everything else aligned the way you wanted.
Justine: I feel like that’s why our manifestation list was so important. We did that right after COVID started, right at the beginning of 2020, and there were no more visits.
And I feel like our manifestations were something that we could control. That was the only thing that we could control at that point.
And it definitely had the return we were looking for.
How has it felt for you to see your story resonate with so many people, to have this big fan base where people say, “You guys are the best couple on the show?”
Justine: I feel like we bring a different dynamic. A lot of the time, you just see the craziness, and you see the cheating, infidelities, and all the sneaking around.
With our relationship, you won’t get that, because that’s not our reality. That’s not what we’re doing. It gives the viewer something different.
It gives them hope. You know, people live vicariously through us.
We don’t enter into these relationships with these men in the hope that they will fall apart. So we watch these shows, and we see all the relationships falling apart. We’re like, “Oh my God, what the hell.”
But then you get to my segment and you realize, okay, there’s still that little glimmer that’s going to help you pick up the phone that day, for that person that’s over there, and that’s going to give you that little bit of push that you need to make it to that finish line.
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I feel like we’ve been that for a lot of people, and even couples that are not in the same situation as us, as far as the whole incarceration thing. I feel like we give another side to things, and like a breath of fresh air for our show.
Michael: Specifically, we know a couple who are friends of ours. After being around us for two years, unfortunately, they’re getting a divorce, and the major reason was that they said they’ve realized they’re not as compatible as Justine and me.
It tore me, because that’s just to show you how everything has a good and bad side, right?
So what happens is, right, when a female comes around a man who treats his woman a certain way, then she starts to question her situation, and vice versa, right?
I mean, it can look like I’m doing too much, but she’s a female. You gotta do too much.
Men need to understand that. And I think that that’s where men don’t understand, like, “Yo, you’re with this woman. Everything about her.”
And not to say that you got to lose yourself in the process and conform to everything she wants. But the goal is to make her happy, right?
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So I feel like men have to show the woman off more, and stay off social media, man, like these girls out there posting their ass. Like, yo, treat the person that’s there for you every day like a queen, man, and you’re gonna see, you’re gonna be treated like a king. It’s easy.
I think one of the things, too, is you guys show it’s not picture perfect, right? Like you have your fights or whateve,r and work through it and come to the other side of it.
Michael: This older couple told me they were together for 60-something years. We were in an elevator, and I asked the guy how he did it. He said, “Fight with love.”
Because, you know, you love that person. So remember that when you’re upset. Remember what you love about that person.
So you know, she and I will get into our situations and go, “I can’t stand you, but I f***ing love you, okay, and I’m removing my stuff from this conversation because I don’t want to say mean things to you that I don’t mean because I’m upset.”
Justine: I mean, there have been times we’ve been doing interviews just like this, and then it’s over. And I’m like, you know, because we’ve been on the same page right now, but I will say, you know, some pages maybe a little off, but the book is good, right?
And that’s an important thing, that the book is good.
I love that. What’s it like for you to live your relationship so publicly by having so much that’s out there for people to see?
Justine: You know, I feel like when we first started, I was a little nervous.
I was like, Oh my God, my relationship is going to be on Front Street. All these girls are going to be trying to get at my husband and all this other stuff, like everything being so public.
But I will say, I think the public has been extremely respectful of our relationship, because they see that it’s real. They know that, they know that you can’t penetrate the relationship, so they don’t try to slide in the DMs.
They’re very respectful. And even when women see him out without me…
He was out in New Orleans, and I wasn’t there, and this girl came up to him, and she was like, “Oh my God, you cute, you think I can get your number or whatever?” And he was like, “No, I’m married.”
She’s like, “That’s right. Because I love Justine. I was going to go tell her right now.”
Michael: We’ve been lucky to have a lot of respect on both ends, with the males and with the females. She and I appreciate that so much, because it’s like a couple of guys off the show, though, they try to slide in her DMs.
Justine: Once I had this guy slide in my DMs. I had to check him real quick. I said, “Hey, this could get real.” But let me tell you something. They slid my way. I slid them right back to their wife.
You have the confidence and the love for each other that you know what’s right, and you know what you’re going to do — and it’s not like you’re going to go step out with someone else because you had a fight.
Justine: There’s nothing out there that is necessary. What’s necessary when people feel like going outside the relationship is to hone in on your relationship, fight it out, duke it out, stay up all night, cry, whatever the case may be.
Michael: If all night’s not worth it, then remove yourself from the situation, right? You know what I mean? I don’t encourage a woman who gets severely beaten to stay in and fight.
Justine: We’re saying, someone who gets into an argument about something small at home, that they’re like, “You know what? The girl down the street, she ain’t going to have no arguments with me. And imma, go over here and have a good time. And imma slide back home.” No.
Michael: My important message to the listeners is love your significant other, but don’t forget to also love yourself. Definitely don’t lose the relationship with yourself, because then you turn into this person who just wants to please someone else, and then you’re miserable that happened.
And then it’s like, “Well, every time I f***ing ask you, what do you want to eat, you tell me whatever you want.” And I like Mexican food, so we’ll eat it three times a week, and you fucking hate it. You see what I’m saying?
I’m sorry for cursing, but if you communicate and you understand that, you know, “Hey, baby, no, I really don’t like Mexican food.” All right, cool. Would you like pasta? We’ll have that a few times a week.
Justine: But the thing that I don’t think you understand is that, for me, I’m very much like that with him. Oh, you know, whatever you want.
Everyone listen.
For me. I was there during those three and a half years of his time being gone, and I remember him not getting food, and them treating him a certain way, and not having soap, and not having these things.
[to Michael] I just want your life to be good. I just want you to be happy. You’ve been through so freaking much that I’ll eat the Mexican food three times a week because I had access to anything I wanted.
So you know what? I mean, we’ll get to a place, and I’m sure as relationships evolve, where I’ll be like, “Yeah, I never really liked that,” but right now I just want you to be happy.
How do you think your relationship would have evolved differently if you hadn’t done the show?
Michael: Honestly, I don’t think this show has anything to do with our relationship, right? I mean, all we’ve gotten from the show is, is people’s feedback. You see what I’m saying. So it’s not like the show is doing anything, like they’re not giving us boosters for our relationship.
They tear us down most of the time. You know what I mean.
So I think what does it for us is the fact that we had three and a half years to converse and actually get to know each other.
No one’s doing that. It’s 2025; you’re lucky if you date for three and a half minutes.
We did something old-school, and we got to fall in love with each other internally, instead of just looks and pleasures.
Justine: For me, I feel like it has done a lot for the relationship, because I feel like we’re a part of such a small group of people that will ever get to experience something like reality TV, and then an even smaller circle who actually become successful from it and have longevity in it.
I feel like this is such a cool experience that I couldn’t imagine having with anybody else.
So this is definitely a bond. It’s definitely brought me closer to you.
Even when it gets kind of crazy in the comments and stuff, I know that he will be right there., I can rely on him for that kind of support and stuff. So, I feel like it has definitely locked us in even more for me.
What else can fans look forward to as they watch the end of the season?
Justine: I know I’ve had some vulnerable moments towards the end, and I’m excited to see that, just to use it as more fuel to continue to help myself evolve and grow through some of my past stuff.
That still kind of hurts a little bit, but I just feel like you’re going to see the continuous growth of us, individually and as a couple, for sure.
Michael: There’s definitely a lot of things going on behind the scenes, and like I said in our previous interview, whether we continue with the show or not, they will continue to see us.
Maybe in a different light, but you’ll continue to see us. The Prasads are definitely going to be around for a while, so don’t miss anything.
What’s something fans will be surprised to learn about you that they haven’t seen yet?
Michael: October 7, Montana Mills is dropping his album, Roller Coaster Life. The TV fans, they’re gonna see what’s up now.
Justine: I’m looking forward to them not just seeing Michael from the show, but seeing his other persona, and seeing his music, and just seeing that there are so many different tiers to this man, and it’s very exciting, and I feel like that’s going to be really good.
What one message would you like to give to the fans?
Michael: Keep supporting, keep hating.
Thank you for everything. You guys have been a part of this journey with us as well.
And if you want to know something, just hit us up, and we’ll probably be able to rectify something or clarify something that you might have confusion about.
We’re not assholes. See, people all the time are, “I want to ask you a question, but I don’t want you to get mad.” We’re not gonna crucify you for it.
Justine: Thank you to everybody. Because without y’all, without even the positive or negative feedback, we would not have been on season after season after season after season after season.
It’s Your Time To Shine, Life Without Lockup Fanatics
Your voice matters. We don’t want to just talk to ourselves.
Hit the comments with your thoughts about all things Justine and Michael, and don’t forget to share this article with your friends so they can join in too.
If you enjoyed this article, check out the rest of our reality TV coverage. You might also enjoy reading the various interviews we’ve posted with stars of both reality and scripted television.
All episodes of Life After Lockup are streaming on ALLBLK and AMC+.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
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