TV
Monique and Derek are the breakout stars of 'Love After Lockup.' Their relationship however confuses some viewers because they question if Monique is insecure dating a man like Derek.
Published on March 4, 2023
3 min readLove After Lockup fans are constantly discussing Derek and Monique. Since his release from federal prison, the former pen pals have been chronicling their love on the show. Viewers have questioned Derek’s motives for being with Monique. They wonder if she is insecure due to starting a relationship with a man while he was in prison and dealing with his infidelity. But she insists she’s a confident woman.
How Derek and Monique met
Monique and Derek have known each other for a few years now. Despite such, he’s only been out of prison for a short time, and they immediately began filming. Viewers have been fascinated by how their relationship even came to be.
In an interview with Carlos King on his Reality With the King podcast, Monique explained how she began communicating with Derek. She says it’s not a situation she ever imagined being in.
“I actually was not searching for a pen pal. I actually was just up late on Facebook just scrolling – you know how you’re up late, being nosey, scrolling? I had come across this pen pal thing, and the first thing I saw was Derek’s picture,” she explained. “And I was moreso attracted to what he wrote, and what he said, rather than his pictures. And it said that he was getting out in three months because he was still serving his fed time. So it took me a couple of days to reach out to him. I was curious…so I texted him, and he responded.”
Monique says she was never insecure and had a boyfriend when she met Derek
Many wonder why a person would voluntarily date and commit to another person in prison. With so many restrictions while they are locked up and after their release, it would appear the optics would make a successful relationship difficult. There are others who think a person who makes that choice has extreme insecurity. But Monique says that’s not the case with her.
“I never understood the whole insecurity concept that people were saying about me on the show because before I met Derek, and when I met Derek, I was dating people, I was dating other men, I was going out having fun and living my life,” she told King. “I didn’t feel the need to go online and search for a man in prison. That never was my intention. I just so happened to come across him, or whatever the case may be. Derek will tell you, when me and him first met, I didn’t take him seriously until maybe the first year. He knew that I was still dealing with my ex at the time, I was still dating, going out, having fun. So, it wasn’t like I was caught up for a man.”
But she does admit that knowing she wasn’t Derek’s physical type did make her hesitate a bit. “I wouldn’t say I was insecure about it, but I knew Derek hadn’t dated any bigger women other than me,” she explained. “So, I knew he had a type. But he reassured me all the time that he loves me, and he doesn’t really care about my size.”
Derek has a history of cheating on Monique
Despite Monique saying Derek professes his love for her, his actions don’t show such. He’s admitted to cheating on Monique multiple times, with over five different women. During the interview, which was released on March 4, he told King that the last time he cheated on Monique was just a month and a half ago. He now insists he will remain faithful. Monique promises that if he doesn’t, their relationship will be over.
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