Why Did the Derricos Get Divorced After 19 Years of Marriage?

After 19 years of marriage and 14 kids together, Doubling Down with the Derricos stars Karen and Deon Derrico announced in June 2024 that they were divorcing, shocking fans of their TLC show.

So why are Karen and Deon separating? And what is their plan for their supersized brood? Read on to find out what the couple is saying following their divorce filing being made public.

While they aren't saying exactly what drove them to split — their everyday marital spats are documented on Doubling Down with the Derricos, sure, but fans didn't see anything egregious — according to a joint statement the couple released, their kids are their top concern.

"Together, we remain unified in the parenting of our 14 beautiful children — their well-being is our priority," Deon and Karen told E! News in a statement. "We thank everyone for their understanding and support as we move forward for the good of our family."

It's being reported that the Derricos, who said "I do" in 2005, plan to split legal and physical custody of their kids, Darian, 18, Derrick, 13, twins Dallas and Denver, 12, quintuplets Deniko, Dariz, Deonee, Daiten, and Daician, 10, twins Diez and Dior, 6, and triplets Dawsyn, De'Aren, and Dyver, 4.

For his part, Deon took to Instagram to share a message about what he values most in life in the wake of divorce news hitting the media.

"When you have nothing else in this world as long as you have your great health, and family nothing else really matters!" he captioned a photo of himself with his kids.

Meanwhile, Karen is not begrudging her estranged husband any aspect of being a great father.

In honor of Father's Day, which followed their divorce filing, Karen even shared a tribute post to her partner of nearly two decades.

"Happy Father's Day to the best father any 14 children can ask for!" she captioned a reel of images of Deon with their family. "Also, to all the great fathers out there! Happy Father’s Day and may your day be filled with love, joy and rest!"

Karen also took to Instagram on June 20 to finally address the "elephant in the room," as she put it. In a video message, she mentioned that she was "doing OK, the children are doing as good as they can be right now. Just remember to keep our family, please, in your prayers." She explained that she was going to be focusing on keeping the kids "busy and occupied" for the summer while also focusing on self-care and upcoming speaking engagements.

Fans immediately took to the comments section to insist that the elephant in the room hadn't, in fact, been addressed. "Did anyone else notice that she mentioned herself, GG, and the children, but no mention of her husband?" one fan asked.

Karen, who must have seen all the comments, then took to the comments section herself to clarify: "The elephant in the room is my health! I am doing fine!"

Despite Deon and Karen seemingly having adjusted to the split, fans are not having such an easy time.

"I'm still not understanding after 14 kids and many years together why divorce now?" demanded one fan on Karen's Instagram.

Over on Deon's Instagram, a fan bemoaned, "All of this is coming out way too fast. I’ve been watching for years and I feel dumbfounded."

While the world adjusts to the news that the couple, whose divorce was reportedly finalized in just a matter of days, is done, here's hoping that the family finds peace to move forward — especially the kids!

We'll leave you with this very insightful comment left on Deon's Instagram from a fan who wants to remind us that we never really know what goes on behind closed doors, even when people's lives are documented on reality TV: "Y'all have a glimpse into this family's life for an hour a week and swear y'all know what's going on in their lives behind the camera. They let us see what they feel we should so don't ever think y'all know everything because obviously, y'all don't."