Lifetime explores the love lives of six couples in the new docuseries Marrying Millions. One partner is incredibly wealthy, and the other is definitively not, leading the couple to face intense scrutiny and questioning whether it’s true love or true love of the money?
37-year-old Katie Hamilton& 23-year-old Kolton Pierce are one of the couples featured on the show. Even in watching the episodes, it becomes clear that money is never a motive in their relationship. Many of the couples on the show are shown on lavish vacations, extraordinarily expensive dinners and over-the-top shopping sprees, but not Katie and Kolton. Their story focuses on their care for each other and their families. Culturally Obsessed & Muse TV’s Executive Producer, Jennifer Ortega recently chatted with the couple.
Jennifer Ortega: Hi, this is Jennifer!
Katie Hamilton: How are you?
JO: Great! How are you doing?
KH: Doing well! Thank you!
Meeting Eachother for the First Time
JO: Thank you for talking to me. I watched both episodes so far you and Kolton, out of all the cast members, really resonated with me. If we could start by telling me a little bit about how you met and what made you want to be on the show.
KH: I think a lot has been lost in translation. Kolton and I met, you know he and my daughter Julia and me along with about 15 other people all met out at a restaurant for dinner in Dallas. So Kolton was friends of friends of friends, and he and I ended up sitting next to each other at the dinner. He and I started talking then mostly about the fact that he wasn’t drinking alcohol. I was asking him a lot of questions about that. And he opened up to me about his early childhood and about being adopted. He and I hit it off. Of course, I had no idea how young he was. And in the weeks that followed, he and my daughter Julia you know formulated a friendship as well but that was a very different relationship than what Kolton and I had.
KH: You know maybe a month or two after we started talking and hanging out and it was the first time that Julia had been away from home working. So that was a massive change for us and our relationship. And I did try to tell her over the phone that Kolton and I were seeing each other, but she did not think I was serious because I hadn’t dated anybody since my divorce. So she just wasn’t getting it over the phone, so it wasn’t until she came back to town I could really tell her about Kolton.
So there were some growing pains there, but it was more about the fact that I was dating in general than it was about Kolton. And to answer your question about why we decided to do the show, it for me I felt like it was such an odd timing for everything; that you know he and I would start dating. We had been dating for three months, and the show contacted me through Instagram, and I thought the show was about was more about people just in different seasons of life in relationships other than focused on money.
To me, it seems like the stars kind of aligned because I hadn’t dated anybody and he hadn’t dated anybody for years. You know we were in different seasons of life, and I had kids, and I was much older. So I just thought like what are the chances of you know being asked to do a show about at the same time that we’re in a situation that seemed a little bit too coincidental. I asked Kolton, and he gave it the green light.
It’s About Love not Money
JO: I think the reason that I enjoy watching your story is that to me it’s not about the money. When I watch you guys, it’s more about a connection and people’s reaction to the age difference. The age difference is not weird to me by the way because I’m your age, Katie. And I was engaged right out of college. It’s funny because when I got into my later 30s, I just accidentally found myself dating younger men and not even on purpose because again I didn’t realize the age a lot of the time.
KH: Yeah, I mean, I didn’t know. I’m so glad that you understand.
JO: Completely 100 percent! And I also feel like it’s like you look younger than you are Katie. I feel like I look younger so it never even registers to me saying that I am a certain age and when I talk to people, it’s definitely about the connection. So I love your story. I relate and think you both have a fantastic relationship.
KH: And it certainly doesn’t tend to matter when the man is older.
JO: Oh yeah. Don’t even get me started about that! That never makes the news.
KH: But when the woman is older, it stops the presses. I will also say what was so interesting about you know when we started dating the cameras were legitimately there for like all of the family dynamics. I mean it’s a big part of our story and because family is so important to both of us. And you’re right; it has never been about money for me. Even in my past relationship when I got married, I was the only one that worked until Josh got back into baseball. I always said if I ever had to date, I would always if I ever did it again, I would look for somebody with a tremendously great heart. You know someone with an excellent character because looks go and money can come and go, but your character is what’s your legacy. And for me, that’s very important in a significant other.
JO: I love that, and I agree with that wholeheartedly, and I will say I see that in both of you in the show. Kolton seems like a good person, honestly. So it would never occur to me that this is a guy like going after someone for their money. So it’s so funny to read like some gossip articles that focus at because that doesn’t come across to me at all. You genuinely both seem like good people with a connection. I know there’s gossip magazines and that’s what they are supposed to do, but it’s ridiculous theories, and I just roll my eyes.
KH: We were actually pretty surprised because we realized during the first week of shooting it the show wasn’t just people in different stages of life dating. It made money a big focus. We weren’t involved in the casting part of it either. Them]n, of course, we found out the name of the show after we started filming and that was a little bit of a shocker.
JO: I mean, I get it its reality TV, but I do think your personality come across pretty authentic. I know they edit footage the way they want to, but still to me especially compared to the other cast, I don’t know the other people on this show, I never talked to them, but compared to other people on the show there’s a big difference between Katie and Kolton and the other couples to me.
Kolton’s Musical Journey
JO: I wanted to ask about Kolton’s music, and I’m so glad you’re pursuing it. It just seems to be something that has gotten you two closer together, and I love relationships where you can support each other in artistic endeavors. So could you touch on a little bit about the music?
Because I was reading the press notes, it’s something you’ve always wanted to do. You’ve always been musical, but you had like I guess trepidations about releasing your material.
Kolton Pierce: Originally, I started playing college football and hurt my knee, and that was a big deal for me just like mentally and emotionally because I think that you know I was really good at sports and I kind of almost like found myself in sports. Now I know it’s not wasn’t the best thing for me because athletes can be so fragile like any time with the way injuries happens, but one of the things I always did like you know listen to pregame music and all that. So I was always listening to music, and I was always writing poems and stuff. But they were very personal to me at times, so I never let anyone know or hear any of that. I just did it myself. And that was it. When I got hurt, I ended up transferring to a different school, and my knee never really fully recovered. I ended up starting to produce music. One day an artist didn’t show up for a recording session, and I ended up just going in there, and you know doing one of my poems on, and it sounded decent, and I showed it to my friends, and they liked it. I kind of went from there. I had a lot of reservations just because I think like most people they don’t like to hear their own voice whether it’s like on a video or a recording. And I started looking up everything. I taught myself everything when I watched probably eight to 10 hours a day on YouTube.
KP: Unfortunately, my school started slacking a little bit and because I was so intrigued by the process of making music and all that, I would be in class writing lyrics and not even really paying attention at times which was odd for me because in high school I always did very well. And when I dropped out of my college, I was actually was on the Dean’s list. So he was kind of confused. The Dean actually talked to me and wondered why I was dropping out with you know one semester left. It’s just because I guess the fire of the music was so big at that point that it was just hard for me to ignore and I felt like I wasn’t going to be able to go all in either facet of my life. It took a lot of prayer and trust that somehow you know I just felt like it was what I was supposed to do at that time. I think the first time Katie heard one of my songs it just was playing and she was like you know this guy is really good. And I thought she was messing around.
KH: Julia was playing the song, and I was like I don’t know this song, but this guy is very good. And I thought she was kidding. So I was like no I don’t know who this is. Who is this? Kolton said that’s me. And I didn’t believe him. He was like no, really it’s me. And honestly, like it took me a long time to grasp not just his age but also like the fact that that voice came from. Like it was like I don’t know, it was very strange for me, it was similar to those two that. I was very impressed.
JO: Your music and your voice are great!
KP: Thank you, but I mean ultimately that was extremely difficult for me. I mean essentially you have to break that barrier in Hip-Hop, and when you do it, you’re accepted by the Hip-Hop community, you’re embraced. But it’s breaking that wall that is so hard. The fact that Katie liked my song meant a lot. I mean it made me kind of have confidence that you know could probably kind of do this for real and I may not be you know as good as J Cole or Drake or whoever but I know there’s a lot of music out there that I think I can do better than.
JO: Absolutely.
KP: She helped me a lot with the creative process, probably more than she knows, and she usually is the first one to hear. My songs when they’re finished or even not yet finished. It’s often her, and then I submit my album to a guy I work with, and they pretty much are the two that have heard every song I’ve made whether it’s been released or not. So she helps out a lot, and she had taken an interest, and I know she played the piano which was like a great skill to have if you want to make a beat. That’s one of the things that slowed me down was I hadn’t learned how to play the piano so it took a little bit longer for me to make these songs. She’s an outstanding piano player, and she knew the rhythm.
KH: I think I’m so happy that my parents did not let me quit piano. It was one of the only things I can remember from my childhood that was very important to my mom. Like we were pretty good kids. Yeah, there wasn’t like a lot of friction when I was young. You know, teenage years or maybe after a little bit. And then my mom was always making me practice, and her mom played the piano also. And so I know I got that gift my grandmother, and my kids are very good at the piano, and they haven’t ever taken lessons. My youngest is taking lessons this fall. I mean she’s been on the piano she was five months old, so she definitely has a talent for music.
JO: Yeah, there’s definitely people that naturally have the ear for music, and I feel like I love music with my soul, but I do not have good rhythm. Writing is my thing. But for Kolton, I’m so glad that listened to your instinct because that is a tough thing to live with when you know in your heart that you’re supposed to be doing something else. So I’m so glad you did because I feel like people so often in life don’t. They don’t end up doing what they’re passionate about.
KP: As I grew up, I started to realize that I was told that I loved sports, but I only enjoyed it because everyone else saw how good I was. I didn’t necessarily love it because I love sports. And there were aspects I loved about sports like being around friends and the camaraderie and all that. But I could never get to the point where I was super passionate about it. And for music, you know it’s been a struggle at times, but even when there was just five people or just my family listening, I still would go into the studio and make more music. It was never about other people listening. Of course, it feels good when random people hit you up, and they say they like your stuff. It can get discouraging after a few years, and you feel like all your music is falling on deaf ears. But it was something that I felt that I have to do. I mean it took a lot of training and trusting God that I would choose music. You know like it essentially put school on hold, for now, to pursue music because my parents are so big on me graduating. I had actually dropped out of school two years before and then went back and then completed a year and a half, and my parents were really excited.
The percentages of kids dropping out and going back are super low. So it took a lot of trust for me just to feel like hey you know can I do this and I think God showed me a way and he was like it is time to do this right now. I’m glad trusted in my instincts and stuff, but honestly, it was all me just like trusting God. I had nowhere I was going, but I knew he had some type of plan.
JO: I hope you and Katie create music together now that I know she is a pianist.
KP: Oh, I’d love that, and she raps too.
JO: She does? Katie, you have to do it!
KH: I don’t know, but as they say never say never.
Leaving a Legacy of Faith, Love & Goodwill
JO: You both are musically talented, so why not? I know you have other people to talk to you so lastly, Katie, I’m just delighted that you’re on this show. Love is love, and if it’s based two adults connecting, it doesn’t matter the age difference, and I think women get stigmatized for crazy things all the time. What would you like people to take away from your story ultimately?
KH: Well I want people to know that way more than money, that family and you know if you have faith that is important. Those are the things that count. What you do for people and how you raise your kids, that’s what we’re going to be remembered by so much more than oh that person was a millionaire ad stuff like that. That may be a part of their tools that God’s given them to use, but it’s not by any stretch your legacy. Money is just a tool that we have. Hopefully, we use it to help other people and show them goodwill and grace the way that we’ve been shown and hopefully even more. But, that’s really what I want anybody to know. I love people with my whole heart. Money doesn’t define you by any stretch.
JO: I agree and I that totally comes across with you guys. You both seem like good people with good hearts. And that’s why I liked your story. I was really excited to talk to both of you.KH: That really means a lot.
JO: I’m glad that you’re both happy and I wish the best for both of you and Julia’s modeling pictures…I was looking on Instagram. She’s gorgeous. I think she should be an actress she has such an expressive face.
KH: I mean she’s enjoying the modeling right now, but it wouldn’t surprise me if she was got into acting. I think she would be a natural.
JO: I was looking at some of the black and white photos, and she has that kind of a classic just like timeless beauty to her.
KH: Thank you for saying that. She’s such a good girl.
JO: She seems great. I mean, all your kids seem great. I think they have a good role model, so it makes sense.
KH: Oh, thank you. And thank you so much for talking to me.
JO: I’m excited to see the rest of the show, and I’m just very appreciative that you took the time out.
KH: Well, thank you for talking with us.
Catch Marrying Millions on Lifetime on Wednesdays at 10/9c
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