Love After Lockup Season 1 cast members Andrea Edwards and Lamar Jackson returned to reality TV for the inaugural season of Life After Lockup. They’re one of the few pairs from the show that are actually still together, but just like the other cast members, they do have their fair share of drama.
To put it simply, Andrea and Lamar are the epitome of “opposites attract.” She is a proud church-going mother of three from Utah. Meanwhile, Lamar was fresh out of a California jail. The couple recently spoke to Reality Tea for an exclusive interview.
Andrea explained why they decided to contnue sharing their lives on reality TV. She told us, “I just felt like our story wasn’t over yet. With Lamar getting out, there was a lot of transitioning with him learning to be in the world again. We just had so much more to show.” Lamar added, “I wanted to show people that we can have our differences and still go strong. Opposites do attract.” And these two really are opposite.
Andrea remarked, “It’s been a lot of adjusting and it’s provided some entertainment in our lives. I’m always learning something new. Lamar is always learning something new. It hasn’t been easy.” Lamar interjected with “She’s a handful.” And then she responded, “And so are you.”
Andrea told us, “I got to church a couple times a week. Lamar is used to it now. He also knows if there’s a certain type of people, I’m not gonna want to be around them. He’s used to it. I know if I bring him in certain parts of my world, he might not feel as comfortable too.”
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Then she got into one of her biggest issues in their relationship. Andrea confessed, “I’m tired of going to church and looking like a single mom. Some people don’t know I’m married because they don’t see my husband a lot. That’s hard for me.”
In contrast, Lamar said, “I’m not gonna be at church every weekend, but I will go to the big events.” Lamar elaborated, “I went to a father/daughter dance, which was really special. If the kids do a singing performance, I will go to that. They did something for Father’s Day, I was there.” He concluded, “I go when it matters,” which sounds like a solid compromise. However, Andrea replied, “Every Sunday matters.”
While Lamar is (obviously) not as into church, Andrea isn’t at ease in the presence of his family members. She said, “I’m not comfortable with his environment sometimes. It’s dangerous. I don’t want to be around it. However, when it comes to the youth in his family, if there’s a graduation or a sports event, I’ll go to that.” We can all remember that terrible visit with Lamar’s family when Andrea stormed outside because his family was smoking weed, which is legal in California, by the way.
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Andrea recalled, “As soon as I got in there, they blew smoke in my face. I just felt like that was extremely disrespectful. Extremely disrespectful.” Lamar countered, “They didn’t know she was coming.” Andrea said, “They knew I was outside in the car.” Which, truthfully, isn’t a ton of notice.
Andrea remarked, “I’ve never seen a father getting high with his son together. I didn’t want to be a part of that.” Fair enough. Lamar said, “He was drinking a beer with his son.” Andrea replied, “No, he was getting high with his son” before Lamar reminded her, “Which is legal there.” And it also made for some interesting television.
Even with their very apparent differences, Andrea and Lamar are very much together, unlike some of the cast members on the show. Lamar explained why their relationship is so strong. He shared, “We are more forgiving. A lot of people, as soon as trouble comes, they run. They’re out. That means their bond is not so strong. We’re not gonna run like that. We’re gonna attack the problem.”
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While Lamar and Andrea are working through their differences, the show also features Andrea’s three children. Andrea shared, “They have such a strong bond with the production crew, so my friends feel comfortable. They’re growing up and learning. This is a new world.”
Andrea went on to explain, “My kids have never experienced urban life until we moved to California. People are witnessing this on TV and are not being that understanding that this is a first time for them. It’s a culture shock. They’re growing, getting older, and people are seeing that on TV and being very judgmental.”
As someone who watches a lot of reality TV, Andrea’s kids, I’m shocked that Andrea’s kids are getting criticism. Not that any children should be judged by adult viewers, but Andrea’s kids are kind, well-spoken, and behaved. That is absolutely absurd that viewers are being harsh on them out of all the people on this show.
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Speaking of Andrea’s kids, Lamar shared, “I’m trying to be there for them and get them to understand me.” Andrea added, “Sometimes, I understand how Lamar feels like an outsider. My kids and I have been such a strong team for so long.”
This led Lamar to share yet another audience criticism that I disagree with: fans hating on Lamar for having sweet moments with Andrea’s children. Lamar revealed, “If I’m shown having an endearing time with one of the kids, people negatively comment. It’s hard. Am I not supposed to show love and affection to kids that are basically mine too?” Seriously. There are so many behaviors to disagree with on this show, but being there for his stepchildren should actually be applauded.
The season finale of Life After Lockup is on at 9 PM tonight on WE tv. Our recap will up on the site Monday morning.
TELL US- WHAT DO YOU THINK OF LAMAR AND ANDREA’S COMMENTS? ARE FANS BEING TOO HARSH ON LAMAR FOR HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH ANDREA’S KIDS? DO YOU THINK THEY’LL ULTIMATELY MAKE THEIR RELATIONSHIP WORK? WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE LIFE AFTER LOCKUP COUPLE?
[Photo Credit: WE tv]