Brandon and Kristina Bowman, cast members of OWN's reality series Love & Marriage: Detroit, have revealed the current state of their relationship. They confirmed that they are still married but separated in season 2.
Premiered on September 7, 2024, season 2 features Brandon and Kristina, who have been married for over a decade and share two children, have openly discussed the challenges they have faced in their marriage. Brandon states,
“Right now we are still married but we are not living under the same roof we are separated."
Love & Marriage: Detroit follows the lives of multiple couples navigating marriage, family, and careers in the dynamic city of Detroit. As they face personal challenges, they also aim to demonstrate the resilience of their community.
The Bowmans, who first appeared in season 1, represent one of the show's key couples.
Brandon and Kristina’s journey on Love & Marriage: Detroit
The couple on season 1
Brandon and Kristina Bowman joined Love & Marriage: Detroit in its first season, presenting themselves as a seemingly ideal couple with a decade-long marriage and two children. Meeting on Twitter and maintaining a long-distance relationship before marriage, they faced challenges in truly understanding each other once they began living together.
Throughout season 1, the Bowmans’ relationship was marked by significant differences that emerged after their long-distance courtship. Brandon’s commitment to his music career and Kristina’s struggles with boundaries created substantial tension.
The couple hoped that participating in Love & Marriage: Detroit would facilitate a better understanding of each other’s perspectives. By sharing their struggles on a public platform, they aimed to gain insights into managing marital difficulties and offer guidance to other couples.
Brandon and Kristina on season 2
Season 2 of Love & Marriage: Detroit picks up with Brandon and Kristina’s story as they continue to navigate their separation. In the premiere episode, Kristina opened up about how she believed their marriage was improving, only to discover later that Brandon had been contemplating divorce.
Kristina responded by explaining that he reached a point where she no longer recognized Brandon, saying:
“At the reunion, I thought we were in a marriage that was overcoming some things and headed in a better direction.”
She then added:
"I just got to a place where I feel like I didn't know you anymore I didn't know who you were."
The emotional distance between them had grown, and Brandon felt that Kristina’s expectations were too high, which led to further conflict.
He expressed his frustration over feeling like he had to change to meet her standards, which added more strain to their marriage, saying,
"I was constantly being molded and and and and attacked and I know I looked at you as the enemy it's like this husband that you imagined I wasn't that and I feel like I just didn't understand why you couldn't like meet me there like love me for who I was."
During their conversation, Kristina admitted that she had also been struggling but was determined to make their marriage work. However, the couple’s differences continued to cause issues, and their separation became inevitable.
While Kristina expressed her disappointment, she also acknowledged that she had learned valuable lessons about setting boundaries in relationships, which she hoped to apply moving forward.
Looking ahead for Brandon and Kristina
As season 2 unfolds, Brandon and Kristina’s separation will likely continue to be a major storyline. Their conversations on the show have already highlighted the emotional toll their separation has taken on both of them.
Despite this, both have indicated that they are open to working on their relationship, even if it means remaining separated for now.
Kristina mentioned that she had been praying and reflecting on the situation, hoping that their time apart would provide clarity for both of them.
Brandon, on the other hand, seemed more focused on finding peace and understanding himself better outside of the relationship. As fans of Love & Marriage: Detroit watch season 2, they will get a deeper look into Brandon and Kristina’s ongoing journey.
Love & Marriage: Detroit season 2 is now available to stream on OWN. The show will continue to follow Brandon, Kristina, and the other couples as they work through their personal and marital struggles in the city of Detroit.