Source: Prince Williams / Getty
Just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic flipped things upside down and changed life as we know it, “Love & Hip Hop” star Mendeecees Harris was released from prison after serving four years. Adjusting to life on the outside after serving a significant amount of time behind bars can be challenging, but quarantine mandates that would shortly follow Harris’ release made adjusting even more challenging.
“We had to spend so much time together that we started nagging each other over who’s going to cook, who’s going to clean, just whose duty to do things,” Mendeecees said of his relationship with his wife and co-star, Yandy Smith-Harris during an interview with Bossip. “In the beginning, it was frustrating because we didn’t have everything structured and planned out but we worked it out. We just took the time to say we’re stuck in the house together, we just might as well make the best of it and it wasn’t even a problem anymore. we found a way to enjoy the time together until it felt like that was the way it was supposed to be and it just felt normal.”
Like many couples, the time indoors proved to be a test for the Harrises.
“Yeah we got our mojo back,” Smith-Harris added. “We had our rough patch in the beginning.”
“We wanted to snap each other’s heads off,” Mendeecees went on. “We were like brothers and sisters in the beginning, just arguing.”
“Over stupid stuff,” Smith-Harris chimed in. “Like ‘why would you put your plate in the sink instead of washing it? Why would you leave your clothes in the bathroom on the floor? Why would you leave the toilet seat up?’”
Harris also admits that fatherhood after lock-up was a bit different as well. However, the time in quarantine proved to be a plus when it came to catching up on lost time with the couple’s children Omere and Skyler.
“The thing for me that was good was, for me being gone such a long time, it really got me acclimated back into my kids’ life and my wife’s life, because I left when my kids were fairly young, and now I’m experiencing them at the age of 5 and 8 and getting reintroduced to them in the household, not in the visiting room,” said Harris “So for my daughter, she is a handful, she’s like a grown person in a little kids body, so every day she is different. She is just – oh my God. I’m still amazed.”
Harris also fathers two children from prior relationships — Mendeecees Jr. and Aasim. The Harrises tied the knot during a spiritual ceremony in 2015, which was captured by VH1 cameras for a “Love & Hip Hop” wedding special. They later legally solidified their marital status. They are slated to star in a new “Love & Hip Hop” spinoff through which they will work to strengthen their marriage.
