Katie Hamilton didn't know Lifetime's Marrying Millions was going to be so money-heavy.
To be fair, producers of the show told the 37-year-old it was about couples in two different stages of life, Hamilton says. Hamilton found out the reality show's name about a month before it aired.
"I kind of had a mini heart attack the first week of filming because I could tell it was so focused on money," she says.
The show follows four couples with a significant age and wealth gap. Hamilton, who was once married to former Texas Rangers star Josh Hamilton, is featured on the show with her boyfriend, 23-year-old aspiring rapper Kolton Pierce.
Hamilton and Pierce met through Hamilton's oldest daughter, Julia. But Pierce says the show tries to make it seem like he and Julia were childhood best friends, when in reality, he had known her only a few days before meeting Hamilton.
It wasn't until Pierce was over at Hamilton's house and noticed some mail on the counter that he realized who she was and how much money she had."It was pretty tragic what went on with Josh and I's divorce." — Katie Hamilton
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"I started looking stuff up online," he says. "But I didn't know who they were in society's eyes for at least a week or a week and a half."
The two have been dating for eight months (as of July 17, Pierce says), and they started filming the show just a few months after they started dating. While some people might believe it's a fake relationship and only for TV, Pierce says he wouldn't do that to Hamilton's young daughters.
Pierce says he has met Josh and says he was "cordial."
"He'll say subtle things that come off as disrespectful, but he doesn't know me," Pierce says of his girlfriend's ex. "He doesn't personally know me, and so I don't really hold it against him. But I hope the best for him."
During the first episode of the show, Katie tells the camera that she didn't want the divorce from Josh. In 2015, Josh, who has struggled with alcohol and drug addiction, filed for divorce after 11 years of marriage during one of his relapses. Katie tells us it was a tough time.
"It was pretty tragic what went on with Josh and I's divorce," she says. "No one knows. Very, very, very, very few people know what actually happened during that time and it was tough. It was very tough. I had gone through a lot with Josh already, and I didn't think anything could be harder than living through his crack addiction. But this definitely gave that a run for its money. It was one of the hardest things I've ever gone through. And maybe even harder because my kids were involved. When he was addicted to crack and at his worst, our kids were young, so I was able to shield them from most all of it."
Katie says up until the last day of the divorce process, she asked Josh to go to counseling with her, but he refused.
Reality shows have recruited Katie in the past, but she says she wasn't ready until now.
"I really felt like I needed to take time and just let my heart heal," she says as she begins to cry. "I get so emotional talking about this. It's very frustrating to me.
"It's been four years and ... I just want him to be so happy and do so well. I've always wanted that. That's never changed. I just want my kids to happy and all of that."
See how Hamilton and Pierce navigate their relationship on Marrying Millions, which airs at 9 p.m. Wednesdays on Lifetime.
