The legal battle between former Doubling Down with the Derricos stars Deon and Karen Derrico has taken another emotional turn, with Deon describing the fallout as the death of the family he spent years trying to hold together.
In a new interview with Oxygen, the TLC personality opened up about Karen's recent arrest and admitted the experience has left him grieving the life they once shared. "I feel like someone died," Deon said. "Something that I loved died, and that was us as a unit as a whole, and our family is torn in two."
While Karen has pleaded not guilty to multiple felony and misdemeanor charges, Deon said the deepest wound isn't the legal fight—it's the permanent damage to their family. "Something has died," he said. "What has died was the way we once were and we'll never be that way again."
He added that even when their children move between households, "I'll never trust her again. I will never ever feel... I could trust her again. And so that has died."
The former couple became fan favorites on Doubling Down with the Derricos, which documented the challenges of raising their 14 children, including multiple sets of multiples. After divorcing in 2024, they initially continued living together in hopes of preserving stability for their family.
Deon told Oxygen he finally realized earlier this year that there was no path back to a romantic relationship, even though he still hoped they could remain strong co-parents. "My main priority was to not have that broken home affect any of our children," he said.
But after telling Karen he wanted to focus only on the kids and not rekindle their relationship, he claimed, "I watched her deteriorate...from an emotional or anger position."
Deon also forcefully rejected accusations from Karen's legal team that he fabricated the threatening emails at the center of the criminal case. "I think it's absolutely egregious," he said. "It's absolutely absurd and preposterous. I have no ability or no way of hacking her email. Neither do any of my children."
He also addressed audio published by TMZ in which Karen allegedly acknowledged threatening one of their children, saying he was "floored" when he heard it. "That's something that I'm having to deal with: with my children to get them the best help possible," he said.
Karen was arrested in Las Vegas after prosecutors alleged she sent emails threatening to kill Deon and "any of the kids" who sided with him during their divorce. She has been charged with harassment, aggravated stalking, violating a temporary restraining order, and preventing or dissuading a witness through threats of violence.
Karen has denied the allegations, pleaded not guilty, and her attorney has maintained that the emails were fabricated in an effort to frame her. She was released on a $2,000 bond and remains on electronic monitoring as the case moves forward.
For Deon, however, the criminal proceedings are only part of the story. He said the real challenge is helping his children navigate a situation he never imagined. "We have to co-parent," he said. "They need both parents."
But he also believes any future arrangement must include therapy, parenting classes, and safeguards to protect the family. "The issue for me is she really don't even understand what she's done," he said. "That's what's most problematic for me."
