She was supposed to be at Bible study. Instead, Karen Carter let a friend talk her into a night of dancing at a Detroit club in 2002 — and walked straight into Deon Derrico — the man she would marry, the father of her 14 children, and, 22 years later, her ex-husband.
2002: She Was Supposed to Be at Bible Study
Karen, from Kingstree, South Carolina, had moved to Detroit to work as a flight attendant. Deon, a Detroit native, had tried acting in Los Angeles before coming home to drive a school bus, cut hair, and sell real estate. What they found in each other was the same dream: a big family. It ran in both bloodlines: Karen’s family counted four sets of twins on her mother’s side, two sets of triplets on her father’s.
They married in 2005, and that December their first baby arrived: a girl, Darian — the only Derrico child who would ever be an only child.
2005-2019: One Baby, Then Two, Then Five at Once
After two miscarriages, son Derrick arrived in July 2010; twins Dallas and Denver followed in October 2011. Then, on September 6, 2013, five babies at once — quintuplets Deniko, Dariz, Deonee, Daician, and Daiten — made national news, and the grocery bill hit a reported $3,500 a month.
A year later, Deon was charged with real estate fraud; he was acquitted of nearly all charges in 2018. In 2017, Karen carried triplets and lost one — baby Carter died, leaving twins Diez and Dior, the “triplins.” Then, on July 6, 2019, triplets Dawsyn, De’Aren, and Dyver arrived 12 weeks early; Dawsyn was born with a hole in her heart and needed surgery before coming home healed in January 2020. Fourteen children, four sets of multiples, every name starting with D — every baby conceived naturally.
2020-2024: The Cameras Arrive — and the Cracks Show
The show premiered on August 11, 2020, with Karen pregnant with the triplets and 11 kids already in the house. For five seasons, America watched the chaos. What the cameras also caught, in the final season, was the first fight they could not laugh off: Darian’s future.
YOU MAY LIKE“We’re Filming Right Now” — Deon Derrico Confirms the Derricos’ TV Return Is ComingIn the June 25, 2024 episode, Darian learned NYU had rejected her. Karen had pushed the music career and the dream-college path; Deon said Darian felt pressured and confided in him. In a later interview, Deon named Darian’s college fight as the breaking point of the marriage. The girl who had been an only child for five years was suddenly why her parents could not agree.
June 2024: Nineteen Years Ends in Two Days
On June 4, 2024, Deon and Karen filed for divorce; two days later, a judge finalized it, ending a 19-year marriage. The terms, reported by TMZ: joint custody of the 13 minor children — Darian, already 18, was outside the arrangement — Deon paying $1,166 a month in child support, Karen covering medical insurance.
The split did not stay clean. Twelve of the 14 children now live with Deon, per October 2026 court papers, and he has gone back to driving a school bus. Karen substitute-teaches and is fighting an open criminal case in Nevada after her June 2026 arrest — allegations she denies; she has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent.
Through it all, one promise keeps coming back: Deon says the cameras are rolling again for a 2027 comeback, with no network, title, or date announced.
It started with a skipped Bible study and a dance. It ended with a two-day divorce and two households. Deon says one fight over Darian’s future broke the marriage; Karen has never agreed. So what ended 22 years — one argument about a daughter’s college plans, or a marriage cracking since the cameras arrived? Team Deon or Team Karen — whose version do you believe?
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