In this episode of Karamo, the host examines a harrowing voice memo recorded by Nicole, in which her husband Kenny verbally attacks her, demanding she stop talking and threatening her with a pillow to silence her. Nicole explains she recorded the memo for safety, acknowledging her own anxiety and difficulty stopping conversations. Kenny admits he feels overwhelmed, snaps, and struggles to control his mental health, while also noting Nicole often prevents him from leaving the room. Karamo guides the couple through a discussion about boundary violations, respect issues, and underlying trauma each brings to the relationship. He emphasizes that verbal abuse and violence are never acceptable, and both partners agree they have boundary and respect challenges rooted in past trauma. The conversation culminates with Nicole expressing that she loves Kenny but is no longer in love with him, highlighting the complex distinction between affection and romantic love in a strained marriage.
Chapters
My producers are telling me right now that you brought us a conversation that you wanna show me how he talks to you.
Yeah, it's pretty—
Okay, Karamo, can I hear this audio?
I wanna fucking cancel all my plans today. I can't. No, stop talking. You're still doing it. You're still fucking talking. Please stop. If you care about me, if you love me, if you care about this marriage, please do something about your talking right now. Here's a pillow. Please put it up against your lips. Please put it against your lips so you don't talk. Not your mouth, just your lips, so you don't have words come out, please. Because I'm asking you to stop talking. You're not doing— well, then here, here, this is what you can help. Talking to your mouth, hands, so that I don't have to hear it, please. Like, I don't deserve it, dude. I don't deserve it. As I'm gonna start talking, this is what happens. This— well, I can't help it either.
So why did you record this conversation?
For my safety. I was I have a problem with not stopping when I'm really anxious.
Okay, so Kenny, I want to hear your perspective.
So I mean, obviously things before and after, people don't understand the details, but prior to that, I had asked her to please stop because I was at a point where I was overwhelmed and she wouldn't respect that and it kept pushing me to the button where I snapped and that was basically what happened.
How do you feel about what he says? Is it true that he asked you to stop? Ask you to stop and then—
I do have a problem with that. I will have no issues openly admitting that I have a problem with stopping. Yeah.
So he'll ask for the boundary of saying, "Hey, can we have this conversation later?" But in the moment you still want to continue the conversation.
I do 'cause I feel like I've been taken outta context that I can't fix it right away. It's just I would like to have that context like kind of rectified.
And how long has this been going on where there's been this sort of lack of respect and lack of boundaries?
It's been like that, I think, after we got married for the most part. I mean, it wasn't as bad in the beginning if I could remember correctly, but.
Kenny, how do you feel to hear that?
I'm not sure to be honest, 'cause like I hate myself when I do that.
I never condone verbal abuse, I never condone violence. But I think there's a lot of context here where I think both of you have boundary issues. I think both of you have respect issues and I think both of you have trauma that you're both dealing with from the past that literally pops up in your own conversation. Would you both agree to that?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Never, ever, ever should you ever make them feel like their life is in danger.
I understand that, but my mental health is like that when I snap. I can't control certain things and I end up doing bad decisions and I don't want that. When I try to remove myself even from the room, she won't let me.
