Destiny Payton is baring it all this season on Love & Marriage: Huntsville, opening up about facing friction with her homegirl, her family, and boundary-setting standards in her love life.
This season of the NAACP Image Award-nominated series raises the stakes for Destiny as she opens up about her childhood, from navigating foster care and her mother’s addiction to finally meeting her half-siblings.
According to the MaDonni Beauty creator, that blend of humanity and drama is exactly what has kept viewers locked in for 11 seasons of the Carlos King-created show.
“I think they like the beautiful chaos,” Destiny told BOSSIP’s Managing Editor Dani Canada. “It’s like, when is the train wreck happening? Because we know it’s coming.”
This time around, that chaos comes with a softer side, as Destiny opens up about her past and steps into a raw, revealing, and reflective chapter of her journey.
“You’re going to see my bio mom [and] you’re going to see the woman I call mama who raised me,” she said. “You get to go back to Detroit with me and see my roots. You’re finally getting the chance to peel back the layers of where I come from, and who I am, the journey I’ve been on finding my siblings, and you get to see me back in my career that brought me into this world, which is real estate.”
Filming those moments proved to be one of the most difficult experiences of her time on the show.
“Girl, I didn’t want to do it,” Destiny admitted about filming with her mom. “I said I wanted to do it, then I didn’t want to do it. Got there to Detroit and still didn’t want to do it.”
Ultimately, she said, confronting her past publicly became a necessary step in reclaiming her story and continuing her growth.
“I felt like in order for me to evolve and move forward as a woman and as a mother, I had to face her,” she said. “It gave me the power to take away whatever story other people wanted to tell for me. It was one of the most difficult things that I’ve done in this space. You have shame, you have embarrassment, you have all the things that I’ve been through throughout my life without cameras.”
She also reflected on her mother’s life before addiction, noting that she was once a singer and that the two share several other similarities, which have, at times, complicated their relationship.
“I’m the epitome of everything she was supposed to be, which is why we have so much contention.”
That’s not all viewers are seeing, however; there’s still tension looming between Destiny and LaTisha Scott amid lingering trust issues and questions of loyalty bubbling back to the surface.
As previously reported, the two were locked in a tense faceoff as Kimmi Scott looked on, with LaTisha questioning whether Destiny’s long-standing relationships with Martell Holt and Nell Fletcher outweigh their friendship. Destiny, however, pushed back, calling it an “imaginary issue.”
According to Destiny, she stands on that, and she’s done being placed in the middle of other people’s conflicts.
“Now my side is just Destiny’s side. It’s just me,” she said. “I’m no longer explaining. My loyalty shows up and is loud.”
More on the flip.
That same clarity is showing up in Destiny’s personal life as well, especially when it comes to dating.
With fans constantly buzzing about her love life, Destiny isn’t surprised she keeps becoming the topic of conversation–although geographically, the dating scene leaves much to be desired.
“It’s been interesting, the dating journey in Huntsville,” she told BOSSIP. “Honestly and truthfully, these boys can’t keep up with me. They can’t.”
While fans have speculated about her connections to multiple men i.e. Lance, Will, and Twan who’ve all expressed interest in her on the show, Destiny said much of that narrative has been misconstrued.
“People take me going on dates or entertaining DMs as me trying to be with all these men. No,” she said. “I’ve been abstinent for two years. I value my body. I know what it is to share it.”
As for what she’s looking for, Destiny says she wants a man molded by faith, focused on family, and emotionally mature, someone her son, Law, likens to a “daddy boyfriend.”
“I need a man that is accountable to God first,” she said. “I need protection, a provider, and someone that’s continuously growing.”
“He [Law] told me, ‘Mommy, you need a daddy boyfriend,’” she said with a laugh. “I said, ‘Is that right?’ He said, ‘Yeah.’”
Beyond relationships, Destiny is expanding her empire, returning to her roots in real estate while continuing to build her brand.
“MaDonni’s not going anywhere,” she said. “It’s homage to my grandmother Maddie and my dad Donnie, so no matter what I do, that’s always going to be a part of me.”
She also told BOSSIP that she’s exploring music, acting, and podcasting, leaning into a more fully realized version of herself.
“I’m just doing all the things that I love to do and getting back to being grounded and rooted in Destiny,” she said.
In related Huntsville news, Destiny is also showing love to her friend and former castmate Stormi Steele, who’s set to star in the forthcoming Belle Collective: Birmingham spinoff.
“I’m so excited for her, I really am,” Destiny said who was on hand for an episode taping attended by BOSSIP. “I can’t wait to see it, girl. I cannot wait to see it.”
“We were in the room together, so we were over there ear hustling in their little scenes,” she said with a laugh. “But I can’t wait to see it.”
“You’ll see a little cameo from me, too,” she added. “It should be fun.”
Tune in to Love & Marriage: Huntsville on Saturdays at 8/7c, only on OWN.
Saturday’s episode is titled: “Motor City, Here We Come!“
Check out an official description below:
Ken and Tricia get more counseling from Dr. Francis. In Detroit, Destiny and her sister reunite with family, but a tense visit with their mom upsets Destiny. In Pontiac, the Scotts visit their father and Uncle Rick.
