The Assanti brothers, Steven and Justin, proved to be a couple of the most divisive participants
to ever appear on TLC's My 600-lb Life. From cheating on Dr. Now's diet to throwing tantrums,
the two brought drama to the series like we've never seen before. To be fair, most of the
really bad behavior was courtesy of Steven, but poor Justin got lumped in with his brother
more often than not.
Weirdly, it's Steven, one of My 600-lb Life's most controversial stars, who's come out of
their shared experience slightly better, but fans' hearts will always be with the beleaguered
Justin regardless. Still, if nothing else, the Assanti brothers seem to be living considerably
healthier lives these days, which will surely make Dr. Now proud.
"This is time now to stop all that. And I need to see weight loss from you."
According to a Facebook post from May 2018, at some point, Steven Assanti settled down
and got married to a lucky woman named Stephanie. He has mostly kept things fairly private,
and at one point her page was full of swooning declarations of love.
In December of that year, Stephanie Assanti spoke in an interview with Starcasm, to let
the public know that her husband is, quote, "nothing like how he was perceived on the
TV show at all." She also said that he's a gentleman, a fantastic lover, and an overall
lover of life.
It was a whirlwind romance for the two, and the reality star and Iowa-based massage therapist
even got matching tattoos to declare their love to the world.
In September 2019, Starcasm again reported on the couple, speculating that their marriage
was on the rocks due to a lack of updates on social media. However, social media messiness
doesn't necessarily mean trouble in paradise; in 2020, Steven revealed they were still together.
As for Justin Assanti, he's back in Rhode Island, and seems to be involved with a business
called Hobby Haven, a shop that mainly sells model kits.
He has posted occasional updates on his own Facebook page as well as on a Reddit account
which he uses to answer fan questions. According to Distractify, during a since-deleted "ask-me-anything"
session, Justin revealed he and Steven no longer speak, sharing,
"He doesn't bother us since he got married."
Justin also noted that he has lost more than 200 pounds in the years since their episode
aired.
In the same AMA, Justin confirmed that My 600-lb Life is heavily produced. Starcasm
also reported that Justin previously confirmed the only thing real about the show was Steven's
horrible behavior. As he reportedly wrote,
"Steven on the show is Steven in real life. It's one of the few things not scripted."
Still, both Assanti brothers seem to be doing well in their own ways, and if living separate
lives is what's best for them, then so be it.
In a 2020 interview with Nicki Swift, Steven revealed how TLC had "overdramatized" his
story and focused on the negative aspects of it, which the self-described attention-seeker
didn't agree with.
As the former reality star argued,
"They only show me going crazy, and yelling at people, and taking pain pills, and just
all the bad stuff. They choose not to show anything that's good. They filmed me and my
family doing good things too, but they choose to show just the bad things."
The My 600-lb Life alum described TLC producers as "aggressive," revealing that on days when
he didn't feel like filming, they would wait outside his door and pester him until he caved.
Despite that, all things considered, he says he doesn't regret taking part in the show.
In his own words,
"I love reality TV. I love being on TV. I love being talked about."
He's now taking matters into his own hands with a dedicated YouTube channel.
Rumors that Steven's marriage is in trouble continue to persist, which Steven at least
has denied. Speaking in an interview with Nicki Swift in 2020, Steven said that the
real reason the two don't seem to be together comes down to the fact that Stephanie doesn't
like all the attention associated with being with him. He explained,
"She's not out there like me. She's a private person ...I love [the] internet, and I like
interviews and being put out there on a pedestal, and she's not. She's more of a private [person],
but she's awesome."
The reality star revealed the two are still together but "technically separated" because
they live in two different cities, about a 90-minute drive from each other. As Steven
put it,
"She's kind of doing her own thing. She has her job, and she's just doing her own thing
right now. [...] We're always working it out. I love her with all my heart and she loves
me."
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