Karen and Deon Derrico finally moved their family into their new home after months of drama — but the couple ultimately did not last.
In the season 5 finale of Doubling Down With the Derricos, which aired on Tuesday, July 2, Deon, 53, and Karen, 44, reached the point where they could move their family into their new Las Vegas residence just in time for Easter. Throughout the season, fans saw Deon and Karen struggle with the hardship of not being able to relocate to their new abode right away.
“We are really and truly grateful to finally be here because there’s been a lot of tension between Karen and I,” Deon said in a confessional during the episode. “[We] sort of finally have all that behind us. That’s priceless.”
Deon and Karen share 14 children: Darian, 18, Derrick, 13, twins Dallas and Denver, 12, quintuplets Deonee, Daician, Daiten, Deniko and Dariz, 10, twins Diez and Dior, 6, and triplets Dawsyn, De’Aren and Dyver, 4. Ahead of the move, the pair sat down with their kids to reflect on the memories they made in the home which earned an emotional response from the youngest children.
“I think it’s just starting to set in with our children that once we move into the new house, we won’t be coming back to this old one,” Deon reflected. “And it’s important for our children to understand that change is a part of life. We’re constantly having [to] change.”
In addition to switching residences, the Derricos also celebrated their eldest daughter, Darian, as she graduated high school. In the prior episode, Darian, 18, contemplated her next steps after she learned she was not accepted to NYU. Darian ultimately decided to put college on the back burner to focus on her music career, much to her parents’ chagrin.
“Darian is our first,” Karen said in a Tuesday confessional while reflecting on Darian’s future. “Deon and I have to carefully watch how we handle her situation because there [are] 13 others that are following her. She really is that pioneer for the rest of them.”
Darian informed her parents that she took their advice to heart and had a job interview at a recording studio, which ultimately delighted both Deon and Karen. Darian later learned that she was offered the job. When she told her parents the news, she also dropped the bombshell that she wanted to move out of the Derrico family home as she embarked on the path of adulthood.
While Deon and Karen were concerned with Darian’s thought process about her next steps, they ultimately gave her their blessing. Darian shared the news with her younger siblings that she planned on moving out of the house once she got settled in with her job.
“Even if my plans don’t work out the way they should, it means a lot to me for my parents to support me and back me up on this,” Darian said in a confessional. “I’m genuinely scared to move out but I know that with everything they taught me, I’m going to succeed.”
While the episode ended with the Derricos all together in their new home eating pizza on Easter, the show shared that Karen and Deon filed for divorce a few months later. Us Weekly confirmed in June that the twosome split. A judge finalized their divorce and the parents plan to split custody of their 13 minor children.
“Together, we remain unified in the parenting of our 14 beautiful children — their well-being is our priority,” Karen and Deon told Us in a joint statement at the time. “We thank everyone for their understanding and support as we move forward for the good of our family.”
Doubling Down With the Derricos airs on TLC Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.