BOSSIP Exclusive: Jim Jones & Chrissy Lampkin Talk Marriage, “Old” Harlem & New Foray Into Reality TV
Couple Star On New WE Show “Vow Or Never” Which Premieres Sept. 1
Jim Jones and his better half Chrissy Lampkin have revealed the key to their 11 year relationship and their advice for other couples who are in it for the long haul. The couple chatted to BOSSIP as they promoted their new reality show, “Vow Or Never,” which follows the couple as they finally head down the aisle. The New York City natives spoke about how they keep their relationship strong, the reason why they decided to bring their union back in front of the cameras and their memories of growing up the Harlem of yesteryear:
BOSSIP: You’ve been together for a long time. Why marriage? Why now?
Jim Jones: “We’ve been together for a long time. And marriage is the ultimate step. Before you get married, you want to make sure this is absolutely what you want to do. Everybody’s circumstances are different. Some take longer, some people get married quicker.”
BOSSIP: What’s your marital status now? Are you legally married?
Jim Jones: “That’s what the television show is for!”
BOSSIP: You two have been together for a long time. What’s the secret to your strong bond and your relationship’s staying power?
Chrissy: “I think it has a lot to do with where we come from, and how we’ve seen things play out and the importance of having somebody who’s truly down for you. And I think with everything we go through, the main objective is to still be there for one another. So I think that’s what keeps us together, and having a sense of humor. And actually liking each other, it goes a long way. He’s my friend. And my son on some days.”
BOSSIP: What’s your advice to other couples?
Chrissy: “I guess be lucky enough to meet somebody who gets you. To not have to try to be somebody else. Because when you do that, it doesn’t last long…Even then things can fall apart, people can grow apart. But I think if you start at a place of ‘this is who I am,’ and make each other better. I think that’s a good start.”
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BOSSIP: Why’d you want to do the show?
Chrissy: “I think it gave us an opportunity to do TV in a different way. Coming from VH1 and that whole history, getting with We TV was an opportunity for us to do things that would ring true to who we are. Not that we didn’t have that experience before, but there was just so much chaos around us that you didn’t really get to know us for real….There’s still madness, there’s still arguments, but there’s the other side too.”
Jim Jones: It’s a good show, it’s reality TV, so it has a stigma already…but for the most part what we bring to the table has always been different and significant in its own way. We always kind of set our own precedent when it comes to letting people see what real life is as opposed to what reality TV is.”
BOSSIP: What are your memories of growing up in Harlem in the 80s?
Chrissy: “I don’t even know if that’s legal to talk about! (Laughs). Things were done a lot different then… I’m glad I grew up in the era I grew up in because I have different morals and values. I’m not saying that I was a trust fund baby, or that I was a hustler on the corner, but the streets of Harlem gave me an education that you can’t pay for. It taught me that survival tactic and you cant find that today, and I think it’s going to be lost with my generation.”
Jim Jones: “There’s a lot of things I miss in Harlem. They got all this gentrification going on…There was a time where things like Harlem Week, where 125th Street was at a standstill, and you could see every car you wished to have in your dreams up and down the block. All the females, all the ladies from Harlem would be out. All the hustlers. You had things like Rucker Park in the summertime, that was very famous. Just being outside in the summertime, nobody wanted to be up in the house. Everybody knew each other in Harlem one way or another. It was just like that. For me coming up at that age, the excitement of coming outside everyday, seeing if you could make a dollar, seeing which girl you could scoop. It’s not like that anymore. I’m glad I got to live some of those days.”
This interview had been edited for space and clarity.
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