Written by Reggie Allen
Photography By Dokk Savage
Long before Tiffany and Louis Whitlow exchanged vows, the couple knew early on that a newborn was not in their future-or so they thought. In an exclusive chat with Huntsville Magazine, the Madison-based couple is proud to announce they are officially expecting. The blended family of four is about to become five.
The world was introduced to the Whitlows on OWN’s hit series, Love and Marriage: Huntsville, which chronicles the lives of black power couples living in the Rocket City. The pairing debuted on the popular reality program as newlyweds navigating life as a blended family. However, in recent episodes, Tiffany hinted at a sudden bout of baby fever.
“I had an IUD for 12 years and we went into the marriage agreeing that we didn’t want any more children [but] I could feel our teenagers not need me. I like to be needed,” Tiffany said. “I’m a nurturer and through this process, I started to have conversations with Louis and gain his perspective on whether he wanted any more children [even though] we already agreed that we didn’t. When I think about what I love about this [man] most is the charisma. The who he is inside. Like, what if we created a child together? Man, this person would be awesome.”
When the time came to have the device replaced, the couple opted to have it removed. The reality star recalled doctors “mentally preparing” them with a 12-month-plan for conception. However, seven days after the IUD was removed, the mother of two had become pregnant. It was something she wasn’t prepared for, but her husband “took to it better” than she did.
“We have two boys, we had family, but it really brought our families together as one with this seed that we have right now,” Louis said.
The Whitlows, who share teenage sons, David, and Lamir, from previous relationships, respectively, said their status as a blended family often gets lost in the show’s narrative. This season, viewers got a glance at how the couple manages to co-parent. (“You saw a reality that is a lot of people’s reality.”)
Additionally, the Whitlows discussed the potential of a new baby, and their work-life and home-life balance, which was put under scrutiny by fans for seemingly putting their professions before their marriage.
“We are trying to produce TV during work hours and so now it’s not just like a work-life situation, it’s a work-work-family situation,” Tiffany said. “We really are doing two jobs. My husband fortunately supports this idea that we have goals at that job, and we want to build our company for a certain position.”
Tiffany currently serves as the co-founder of Acclinate, a biotech startup geared toward educating individuals to make informed decisions about genomic research and clinical trial participation. Louis serves as the Vice President of Development at Driven Solutions and is the owner of The Compound256, a sports performance training facility.
The Madison-based couple believes the balance is in the separation.
“People say that there’s a work-life balance,” Tiffany said. “At the beginning of building our company [Acclinate], I believed in that. There are also times in life where you must modify your mindset. For me, I am 100 percent focused on work when I am working and I’m 100 percent focused on my family when I’m with my family. And that helps me to not be all things to all people.”
The couple met after a series of missed connections and phone calls before ultimately meeting at a Wendy’s in Madison. Later that night, they laid all their cards on the table. In this case, the proverbial table being Tiffany’s couch.
It did not take long to realize how much of their lives mirrored each other. Both were previously married and proud single parents to teenage boys, respectively, and according to Tiffany, it was the beginning of what she called their “non-traditional” path, a mantra the couple stand firm in.
In 2020, the couple made headlines when Tiffany decided to surprise her then fiancé with a wedding for his 40th birthday. The impromptu ceremony, which was held at Toyota Field during the height of the pandemic, kicked off their marriage and was soon followed by an invitation to the world of reality television.
“Nothing about us is traditional, by any means,” Tiffany said. “Nothing about our relationship is standard or follows anybody’s book about anything.
TIFFANY WHITLOW
I love that when people look at our story, we continue to be an example of just true love being a priority over anyone else’s process or expectations. We continue to live life for what’s supposed to be and that’s the moment. It’s really us living between that dash on our headstone.”
Love and Marriage: Huntsville airs Saturdays on the OWN network.
this article first appeared in the winter issue of huntsville magazine
