Kim Menzies is opening up about her past on the new season of 90 Day: The Single Life.
During Monday’s Season 5 premiere, fans were reintroduced to Kim, who made her 90 Day Fiancé debut on Season 5 of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days with then-fiancé Usman Umar (aka SojaBoy) of Nigeria.
On the new season of ‘The Single Life,’ Kim finds herself back on the dating scene in San Diego with the support of her son and former ‘Single Life’ star, Jamal Menzies. However, before she could try her hand at finding love again, Kim had a secret to get off her chest.
“I’ve been carrying a really big secret for about 30 years,” Kim said at the end of this week’s episode. “Jamal is not my only child. Jamal’s dad and I were never married. We were together for seven-and-a-half years. We were in the military together and he was just cheating all the time. It was just like every day, there was a different girl.
“When I got pregnant with my first son, Larry, the first thing his dad said was, ‘Abort it,’ and I just couldn’t do that,” she continued. “But I was only 21 years old. I couldn’t imagine being a single mom. I was not mentally ready. I was starting my military career. I was just not ready. So I decided to put my son up for adoption.”
Kim went on to tell viewers that she had kept this secret hidden from 28-year-old Jamal until last year when Larry found their contacts via an ancestry website.
“I’ve hid things from [Jamal] for so long that when I told him, it just devastated him,” she said.
Jamal opened up during the episode about the lack of trust he has with his mom after finding out what she had been hiding for him “for so long,” even telling her he that didn’t think she would’ve told him had it not been for Larry coming forward.
“I just didn’t know how to say it,” Kim told Jamal. “It’s always been me and you, me and you, me and you, and I finally got our relationship to where I’ve always wanted it to be, so it was better for me to just keep this big, dark secret. I felt in my head, I was just trying to protect myself and then trying to protect you, too. That’s the complete truth. I just didn’t know how to handle this at all.”
In a confessional, Jamal told viewers he initially thought his mom was making a joke, though when he realized she was telling the truth, he became “just really pissed off.”
“I’m like, ‘How could my own mom look me in the eyes when she knows I have a whole f**king brother?’” Jamal said. “That’s not even something I’ve thought about forgiving yet, ‘cause I just don’t know who would do that. I don’t know, I feel like your mom’s the person you’re supposed to trust only. Like, if you can’t trust anyone else, you can trust her. But now it’s like, ‘Wow, I can’t trust anyone in the world anymore.’”
Kim shared during the episode that she and Jamal traveled to North Carolina to meet Larry and his family, revealing that she’s technically a grandma, as Larry has a daughter. She also noted that meeting Larry confirmed to her that she made the right decision to place him for adoption years ago.
“I’m so relieved because he was such a good man,” she said. “I don’t know how he would’ve turned out if I would’ve kept him. It makes me feel certain that I did the right thing.”
Kim said she invited Larry to come out to San Diego to see where she’s from, but also so that she could have another hard conversation with him.
“Larry wasn’t the only child I put up for adoption,” an emotional Kim revealed. “I also had a daughter.”
After Monday’s episode aired, Kim shared a photo of herself and Larry to Instagram, while giving fans an update on their relationship, which she said is “growing and improving everyday.”
“We are forever grateful to his adoptive mom and family–they gave him a life I couldn’t have, and because of them, he grew into the amazing man he is today,” she wrote.
As for the second child she placed for adoption, Kim promised fans she’d “post about her another day.”
“We are taking everything day by day,” she added.
Kim also shared that it has been “incredibly freeing” to finally tell her story, despite having some regrets regarding the way she chose to do it.
“I didn’t handle this journey perfectly with Jamal or Larry, and that’s something I will always regret–but growth often comes with hard truths,” Kim wrote. “I am deeply thankful for Jamal, Larry, my family and my newfound family (especially my mom as she was there every step of the way), and my circle of friends for the love and support they gave me as I found the courage to tell my story.
“I’m not asking for anyone to understand–only for grace,” she continued. “My life hasn’t been easy, sometimes by my own choices and sometimes at the hands of others, but I’ve learned how strong and resilient I truly am. Today, I live free of my past. Thank you to everyone who has stood by me.”
Later on, Kim returned to social media to thank those who had reached out to her with their own adoption stories, claiming she was “extremely moved” by the messages and comments she received and planned to respond to fans soon.
“Thanks for being so understanding and for the love!” Kim added.
Jamal has yet to respond to Kim’s latest social media post, nor has he “liked” her post as of press time.
New episodes of “90 Day: The Single Life” air Mondays on TLC.
RELATED STORY: “90 Day Fiancé” Star Liz Woods Reveals Doctors Found Another Cancerous Mass on Her Ovaries: “It’s Heartbreaking”
(Photos: TLC; Instagram)
5 Responses
She needs to sit Tyler and Catelyn down for a little talk, I think.
I think it is great what you did for first son… as you said he had a life that you could not give him at that time…and now he is a productive member of society and had a great family & upbringing! Kudos to all of you! I hope Larry & Jamal end up having a great relationship as there is nothing like having a sibling (or 2 or 3 etc)…. xox
Such a wonderful thing that she gave them life and placed them with wonderful families rather than the alternative. She should not however have lied to Jamal about it. I personally experienced a shocking DNA revelation which my mother had never told me about and it is a very emotionally hurtful experience.
With the dna tests it’s hard to keep these secrets, I’ve known families that meet people all the time like this due to those tests
Jamal. your mom kim was in a better place when she had you. she made very hard choices of having children she cannot support and wanted them well cared for. She has a big heart.