Here's Why Ice-T And Coco's Reality Show Really Ended
By the time "Ice Loves Coco" came to an end, the show had had a successful three-year run on E! So, what was behind Ice-T and Coco Austin's decision to walk away from it?
"Ice Loves Coco" first hit screens back in 2011. At the time, E! said in a press release that the couple — whose love story started on the set of a music video — had what it took to become the next great reality TV couple. The network wasn't too far off there. In 2012, they announced that "Ice Loves Coco" would be back for round two — and later that same year, they returned for Season 3.
However, unfortunately for fans who'd grown attached to the show, Season 3 of "Ice Loves Coco" would mark the end of the couple's era on reality TV. Ice-T was the first to break the news through his podcast, "Ice T: Final Level." Speaking to his co-host, Mick Benzo, he revealed, "We stopped the 'Ice Loves Coco' show to move to another show." A small consolation, for sure — except for those hoping to see the couple in a similar format to what they'd become used to. "It's more of a talk show setting," he explained. So, why the move away from a docuseries?
Ice-T wanted to keep it real
Ice-T may have starred in "Ice Loves Coco," but it's worth noting that he had some reservations about getting into reality TV from the very beginning.
As he explained in "Ice-T: Final Level," he initially refused the offer, telling the interested parties, "No. Absolutely no way I'm doing no reality show. I think reality shows suck. It's corny to me — I ain't doing it." However, after numerous discussions, the producers coaxed him into filming a pilot. There was still one proviso, though. "I'm not doing no buffoonery, man ... we don't throw drinks in each other's faces, we don't flip tables over," he recalled telling the stakeholders. The producers agreed — and soon enough, he warmed up to the idea of a down-to-earth docuseries that showed the real Ice-T and Coco Austin.
That said, even after agreeing to do the show, he stood firm by his no-clowning condition. And, as he pointed out to Mick Benzo, that would have been unavoidable, had they chosen to keep filming "Ice Loves Coco," long-term. "I don't care who you are, your life becomes boring at [some point]," he said. "Sometimes ... you just want a bowl of cereal ... Now you've got cameras, and they're looking at you, and you feel a need to be entertaining, and before you know it, you're doing dumb s*** that you normally wouldn't do," he explained. Well, kudos on the commitment to keeping it real!
Ice-T also wanted to avoid drama in his real life
Volunteering to act out for the cameras was just part of Ice-T's reasoning for stopping "Ice Loves Coco" after three seasons. So, what else was behind the decision? That would be producers pushing for drama.
In keeping with what he'd said on the "Ice T: Final Level" podcast, the "Law & Order: SVU" actor told HuffPost that getting to a point of hamming it up for audiences was the best-case scenario, compared to what typically happened next. "When you start to move away from what you're normally doing, they look for drama and they create chaos because they're trying to entertain people," he mused. It was a sentiment he doubled down on several years later in a 2019 interview with InTouch. Once things become too monotonous, Ice-T explained, "The producer goes, 'Well, let's put you in a lion cage.'" In other words: not ideal for a couple hoping to grow their family.
Ultimately, Ice-T and Coco Austin's choice to walk away from "Ice Loves Coco" seems to have worked pretty well for them. In 2015, the couple's aforementioned talk show aired, and though we're not sure what the future holds for "Ice & Coco," the same year, they welcomed their first child, daughter Chanel Nicole Marrow. Sad as it may be that we don't get to see their lives unfold on our screens anymore, we're happy to know this couple has made the best choice for their family.