Two years ago, Deon and Karen Derrico were TLC’s most famous parents of 14, running a Las Vegas household that felt like a small school all on its own. Today, according to reports, they both work in actual schools — he drives a school bus, she walks into classrooms as a substitute teacher. Fans did not see this chapter coming. And now they cannot stop debating it: which of these two jobs is the tougher gig?
Here is the part nobody should miss. This is not a fall from grace story. It is a full-circle story — because both Derricos held versions of these jobs long before the cameras ever arrived.
Deon Behind the Wheel
Deon Derrico revealed on a November 2025 podcast that he is working as a school bus driver, according to reports. Think about that for a second. The man who spent five seasons counting 14 children in birth order so nobody got left behind is now professionally responsible for getting other people’s children to school safely, on time, every morning.
Fans immediately saw the poetry in it. Deon built his TV reputation on schedules, head counts and military-grade morning routines — the exact skills a bus route demands. A bus full of kids is loud, unpredictable and completely unforgiving of a late start. In other words, it is a Derrico household on wheels, except this time the passengers go home at 3 p.m.
And Deon is no stranger to the driver’s seat. Long before reality TV, the Detroit native worked as a bus driver, a chef, a hairstylist and a salon owner before building a career in real estate. The bus job is not a new identity. It is an old one, picked back up.
Karen at the Front of the Classroom
Karen Derrico, meanwhile, is working as a substitute teacher, according to the same podcast account. If you watched the show, you already know why fans think she is built for it. Karen ran the Derrico school day for years — including the hybrid schooling stretch after the divorce, when she juggled lessons for 13 kids at once and told fans each week that she was “tweaking” the routine until it worked.
YOU MAY LIKE“We’re Filming Right Now” — Deon Derrico Confirms the Derricos’ TV Return Is ComingSubstitute teaching might be the hardest job in any school building: no regular class, no established authority, a new room full of strangers every morning — and you still have to hold the line. Karen spent years holding the line for 14 of her own. Walking into someone else’s classroom is, in a strange way, the lighter version of what she already did at home.
Like Deon, Karen’s working life started with children. She worked at a daycare center after high school in her native Kingstree, South Carolina, before becoming a flight attendant. Teaching other people’s children was her first job. Now it is her job again.
Why Fans Are Cheering Instead of Pitying Them
Reality TV fame has a short shelf life, and fans know it. The Derricos’ TLC run ended after five seasons in 2024, and the family has said they walked away by choice to control their own story. Since then, the headlines have been heavy — a divorce finalized in June 2024, and a comeback that Deon says is filming with a 2027 target, though no network, title or date has been confirmed, according to reports.
Against that backdrop, two parents clocking into school jobs reads very differently than fans expected. The reaction in fan spaces has been overwhelmingly warm: respect for parents who work, full stop. No camera crew, no storyline, just a shift that starts early and ends when the kids are safe. For a family that spent years being watched, there is something quietly powerful about being useful instead of being famous.
So, Fans: Which Job Is Tougher?
Here is where the fandom splits, and we want your honest answer. Team Bus says Deon’s job wins on pure responsibility: dozens of children, traffic, early mornings, and zero room for error. Team Classroom says Karen’s job is harder: a new school, new students and new rules every single day, with no backup and no second chances to earn a room’s respect.
Both jobs start before sunrise. Both demand patience most people do not have. Both are, fittingly, jobs about other people’s children — from two parents who raised 14 of their own.
So settle it for us: which Derrico school job is tougher — driving the bus or subbing in the classroom? Drop your pick in the comments — Team Bus or Team Classroom — and tell us why.
