In this episode of Karamo’s talk‑show style series, Karamo mediates a heated dispute between Diamond and Andre, the parents of two daughters who separated after a nine‑year relationship. Diamond, a makeup artist who worked 80‑hour weeks, claims she has been the primary provider and that Andre has failed to pay the court‑ordered $200 monthly child support and has not consistently contributed to rent, despite occasional partial payments. She describes Andre as excuse‑making and criticizes his lack of follow‑through. Andre counters, portraying himself as a victim of Diamond’s accusations, asserting he has helped with childcare, paid half of the rent, and that Diamond’s narrative is a “fantasy.” The conversation devolves into mutual blame, with both parties disputing each other’s accounts of past responsibilities, house ownership, and recent interactions. Karamo intervenes, highlighting the tit‑for‑tat pattern, validating both parties’ feelings, and emphasizing that closure and clear boundaries are essential for effective co‑parenting. He advises that the parents need to separate emotional grievances from financial obligations, agree on child support, and achieve mutual closure to move forward as co‑parents.
Chapters
Diamond and Andre have 2 children together, but since they broke up, she says Andre has stopped supporting the family financially. Diamond is here for my help with their co-parenting drama. So everyone, please welcome Diamond to the show to hear her side of the story. Hi, Diamond. Can I have a hug? Hi, Karamo, how are you? Nice to meet you.
So good to meet you. Yes.
So please tell me, what are the issues you're dealing with when it comes to your relationship with Andre?
So I just feel like, and I know you were saying before, but I feel like I have been the provider in every sense from the beginning of the time that we were together.
How long were y'all together?
We were together for 9 years.
9 years, okay. And how many kids y'all got?
We have 2 daughters.
2 daughters, beautiful.
We ended up breaking up after 9 years. I was like, you know what? It is 9 years of my life that I've like invested into this partnership and I am not about to let a decade of my life go by me and shit is not changing, you know? So I was like, it's time for me to go. So I was a makeup artist. Well, I am a makeup artist. And at that time I was traveling with Nurse Myricks Beauty and with all the makeup shows. So I was working like 80 hours a week, right? So, and at that time he was just, when we were together, he was working at Ruby Tuesdays. So, and his hours were like 5 to close. So it's like after the kids go on the bus, you could find something in that grace period to, you know, to to create more income and apply yourself.
[Speaker] Yeah, especially if you working 80 hours.
[Speaker] You see what I'm saying? Like, yes. So I feel like he's very excuse-oriented, a lot of victim mentality. And it's like, listen, when we first got together and we were both like 20 and you're telling the story of like, I'm gonna do this and I'm gonna do that, it all sounds real cute, but now you're like this grown-ass man, so it's time to get up to speed. My whole thing is like, if I'm showing up this way, What are you doing? Like, why are you sitting around like making excuses and your emotions? It's time to like be proactive, like be a man of action. And it's like, stop giving me lip service. I'm just so tired of like hearing about it. Even right now, for example, we separated, we've been separated for 5 years. I ended up moving to Atlanta. I just moved back. Before I decided to move back, I was like, I can move on in Atlanta. But I don't really have family in the States. I just have my sister. So he was like, why don't you move back closer so that I can help you and the girls? So I'm like, why not? Let me move back. I was like, but here's my struggle. Like right now rent and everything is so high. I gotta come back and get on my feet. And regardless, can you help me pay half of my rent? 'Cause he doesn't even pay his child support, which is like—
Oh, so you put him on child support but he doesn't pay it?
No, it's $200 a month for 2 kids. And he doesn't pay it.
And so did he pay the half the rent?
When I tell you in the car right here, he was still like, I'm still gonna give it to you. I'm like, this is now month 2. Like I just moved, like this is the second month.
And he still hasn't provided that for you?
No, so this is what happened. So the first month he gave it to me like in pieces, like $300 here. I was like, whatever, okay. And then the second month, this is what he did. The end of September, he's like, so September's like a slow month for me. Like for October, I'm not gonna have it like on the 1st, but like I'll have it later. And I'm like, you know the rent is due regardless, right?
[Speaker] On the 1st.
[Speaker] Like the rent is due. So like already month 2, you're not having follow through and I just feel dumb for believing you again and like allowing you the space to not show up for me. And he's still telling me like, you're still gonna get your money. And I'm like, you don't understand, like I just want you to be a man of your word and have follow through. And it's like, Why do you get to have excuses for me?
Yeah.
And I have to find a way to provide right now, you know?
Oh, got it. My producer who you were talking to told me that you said that you would change your child's father if you could.
At this stage in my life, with the life experience that I have learned about him, if I could do that, I would. I love my children, but I don't love parenting alone because I didn't create them alone.
Got it. All right everyone, let's meet Andre and hear his side of this story. So everyone, welcome Andre to the show. Hey Andre, how you doing? Hey, how are you? I'm good. So tell me, how do you feel about everything that was just said?
I feel like she came out here and did not mention one good thing about me.
I hear that.
And one thing I'm not gonna do right here in this is do anything to diminish her character.
Yeah.
She loves diminishing mine and that's our biggest problem. She has this checklist of the man she wants to have in her life.
Mm-hmm.
But at the same time, she won't put any energy into helping that man. She's only concerned about the check—
We're not together.
Okay. Exactly. That's a lot of the reason why a lot of your expectations need to diminish as well because I'm not here.
So what responsibilities did you take care of during the relationship?
During the relationship? When we first got together and we had our children, I was actually the one working and she was home. What really—
But I still paid the rent. I bought the house.
The house was bought completely. So there was no rent. So the bills that were being paid—
That's a great opportunity to stack your money.
So you saying that she bought the house and then you said, well, I covered all the other bills?
I didn't pay bills, is that what you're saying?
No, you didn't. You didn't pay any bills.
Okay.
So what are your responsibilities like now from your perspective?
I helped her transition from Georgia here and she just got a new job. So I have a nightclub, so I don't work till the end of the night. So I stepped into her house and put the kids on the bus every day for the past 6 weeks since they've been in school.
It was 4 weeks and I no longer have that job.
I gotta know this just to make sure I get the feelings out. When she moved in or got with another guy, were you upset about that?
Yeah, that was a lie. No, I wasn't.
You were, you were.
I was not. Yeah, I wasn't upset.
I beg to differ.
Okay.
From your opinion, he was upset?
Yes, he was like hiding in the bushes outside my new place. He followed me.
That's a lie.
You didn't follow me, you didn't follow me. You didn't follow me when I was—
That's a complete lie.
So you didn't follow me.
Okay, you wanna really get into that story? Yeah, y'all really wanna hear the story? You can talk, but nobody wants to get the full story. I wanna close the dance. She wants, okay, let's tell the full story. Let's tell the full story.
Tell it.
The hiding in the bushes.
Please.
First of all, mind you, I didn't live nowhere near her. She had a gig to do a makeup job. She called me, hey, can you come at a certain time, whatever. She blocks me at this point. She doesn't communicate through me. She's communicating—
He said, get your boyfriend to do it.
Can you stop?
He said, get your boyfriend to do it.
Let me tell the story, please.
Okay, that's what you said. You said, get your boyfriend to do it.
I was like, what? I did not. I did not.
Oh, okay. Interesting how you have amnesia today.
Oh my gosh. She called me. I live an hour and a half away from her. So I'm traveling down there. I don't get the message from her on what time I'm supposed—
I have people calling in. I asked you beforehand.
I'm just gonna let her have the show because she doesn't want. She doesn't want the truth. This is somebody who doesn't want the truth. They don't want the truth. They want to believe their own. Her whole fantasy. You want to believe that you're a single mom. You came out and basically presented to these people your fantasy. I'm a single mom. I do this by myself.
Why would that be my fantasy?
Because it's not real. Because it's not the truth.
In a healthy way, it's not the truth.
Were you upset?
Why would I want that?
Yes, because I want my family together. Of course, I love her.
Honestly, we appreciate that.
And I love her. I love her enough so far as the boyfriend thing. I love her. If she wants to be in another relationship and that is great for her, I love that for her. I wasn't expecting her ever to come back. So the fact that she came back after she realized that home is better, that's why she came back.
You're saying I came back to you? Or I came back to live close to my sister and to have you in the girls' life.
Do you wanna repeat phone call conversations? Because your conversation on the way home was, I don't wanna be with anybody but you and blah, blah, blah.
Did you not tell me you're not interested in a relationship?
I'm sorry, nobody tells me that.
Y'all always have these disagreements like this daily?
Daily. And I think we can be better if there's a full picture presented instead of just a half. Because she thinks when somebody goes, yeah girl, that means that she's right. No, you're not right.
No, so the thing is, that's not the truth. She's not right.
Do you want your family back? You want your family back.
I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make sure we're not at this point. And one thing, I'm paying half of your rent. Nobody even supposed to do that. I'm extending myself.
So you're supposed to provide for the household your children live for. When you don't pay child support.
I'm going to, I'm doing more than providing.
How is that more when you don't even pay your child support? But why do I need to struggle for you to help?
You're not struggling. You went and got Botox last week and you're talking about going to get a BBL.
You're not struggling.
Hold on, you're not struggling, Brown.
So let's see what we have right here. The tit for tat is not gonna help y'all. And that's what I do know. And I think you've been in a pattern of tit for tat for a very long time. I think that your feelings of feeling dismissed are valid for you. And I think that your feelings of wanting more support are also valid. I think what happens is that you're so busy wanting to say, listen, see me for what I'm doing and not see the bad things. But for her, she's like, that's hard for me because I'm living when I don't have that extra support. Child support. Everything is convoluted with y'all because it's not about the kids, it's about y'all's relationship. When you called and you pick up that phone, you said come and you agreed to paying rent. That's you paying rent for your girl, okay? Because if you wanted to do with your children, you would have said, hey, here's the money for child support, you do what they want. Whether that's an apartment, whether it's whatever, you do what you want. Now that's about kids. When you say, hey, I'm gonna pay your rent, that's not closure. That's leaving the door open for something else. And that's the issue right now. And you know that. And I think you know that as well, both of you. I don't think you're a bad guy. I don't think you're a bad woman. I think there has been young love that has turned into histories of hurt, disappointment, wanting the other person to grow at a different rate than they're growing. Instead of it being about whether you give me rent, I just need the child support and I'll use that money to pay the rent.
Right. And that's exactly what I'm gonna wanna do. I'm gonna pay child support. 'Cause, but she is not gonna be okay with that. That's gonna be a whole other issue.
How about you start and then we'll have the conversation after.
What we're all witnessing right now is a relationship when you don't have closure, how you will continue to go right back into the same patterns and conversations. I do this, this is not just a talk show for me. I do this professionally. And so I'm telling you, the only thing that will ever help you to get to a place where you're gonna get the support you need where you're gonna get the understanding as a father you want, not as a boyfriend or a husband or any of those things, as a father, is when you two give each other closure. Co-parents don't realize that until y'all can start saying, listen, I'm done. I'm fully finished. I am sorry. I'm sorry and I don't need to defend it. You did it, I did it. Great, we're done. Until you can get to that place, you're always gonna be constantly in a back and forth battle. If y'all step off the stage, and get y'all closure, y'all gonna soar as co-parents. So do that and I promise you, y'all be okay. All right?
All right? Okay.
All right everyone, thanks for being with us. Make sure to come back next time, friends, so we can keep talking and growing. I love you all.
