Steven Assanti is one of the most controversial and memorable participants of the TLC reality show My 600-Lb Life. He and his brother Justin appeared on the show in 2017, seeking help from Dr. Nowzaradan to lose weight and improve their health. But Steven’s journey was anything but smooth. He faced many challenges, such as addiction, abuse, and mental illness, that made him difficult to work with and often antagonized the viewers and the medical staff. He also made headlines for his erratic behavior, such as ordering pizza while in the hospital, getting kicked out of a rehab facility, and posting videos of himself online.

But what happened to Steven Assanti after the show? Did he manage to lose weight and turn his life around? Did he find love and happiness? Or did he succumb to his demons and health problems? Is he even alive? These are some of the questions that many fans and critics of Steven Assanti have been asking for years. In this article, we will explore the facts and rumors about Steven Assanti’s life after My 600-Lb Life, and try to answer some of these questions. We will also look at his relationship with his brother Justin, who has a very different story and personality from Steven. Read on to find out more about the Assanti brothers and their post-show journey.

How old is Stevan Assanti?

Steven Assanti is a white American born in Providence, Rhode Island, on December 2, 1981. His zodiac sign is Sagittarius, which is associated with adventure, optimism, and independence. He is 42 years old.

How Steven Assanti’s Troubled Childhood Led to His Food Addiction

Steven grew up in a dysfunctional family, where his mother was an alcoholic and his father was passive. His parents’ relationship was rocky and they often fought in front of him and his younger brother Justin. Steven said that he and Justin “put up with a lot of abuse because of that”.

When Steven was 11 and Justin was 5, their parents separated and they went to live with their mother. However, their mother did not care much about them and prioritized her alcohol and her boyfriends over her sons. Steven said that his mother’s boyfriend was very violent and that he was still upset by the things that happened. Justin also revealed that his mother’s boyfriends physically beat him and that his mother knew and did not care.

Their mother was rarely home and she left food out for them to eat. Steven admitted that food was his comfort through good and bad situations, but it did not help him cope with his emotions. Justin said that Steven was very greedy and that he would eat all the food before he could get any. He said that he also started to turn to food because of the abuse and neglect.

As a result, Steven and Justin ate a lot and gained a lot of weight over the next couple of years. Steven’s food addiction spiraled out of control and he became morbidly obese, reaching over 700 pounds at his heaviest. He also developed a personality disorder and a drug addiction that made him difficult to deal with. He appeared on My 600 lb Life to seek help from Dr. Nowzaradan, but he often clashed with him and the medical staff. He also had a strained relationship with his brother and his father, who tried to support him but also felt frustrated by his antics. Steven’s story is a tragic example of how childhood trauma can lead to food addiction and other mental health issues.

Steven Assanti Television Career

My 600-lb Life:

Steven Assanti is one of the most controversial and memorable stars of the TLC reality show My 600-Lb Life. The show follows the journeys of morbidly obese people who seek the help of Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, a renowned bariatric surgeon, to lose weight and improve their health. Steven and his brother Justin were featured in season 5 of the show, which aired in 2017. They both weighed over 600 pounds and had different personalities and approaches to their weight loss.

Steven was the older and heavier brother, who weighed nearly 800 pounds at his heaviest. He was also the more problematic one, who often clashed with Dr. Now and the medical staff. He had a history of drug addiction and mental health issues, which made him act out in erratic and abusive ways. He was notorious for ordering pizza and other junk food while in the hospital, lying about his weight and diet, and throwing tantrums when he did not get his way. He even threw urine on a nurse once, which he later regretted and apologized for. He was kicked off the program several times, but he always came back begging for another chance. He also showed some signs of progress and motivation, as he managed to lose some weight and qualify for the surgery. He underwent a gastric sleeve surgery and a skin removal surgery, which reportedly helped him lose over 300 pounds.

On the show, Steven admitted that he had a food addiction and that he used food as a coping mechanism for his emotional pain. He also said that he suffered from social anxiety and depression, which made him isolate himself from the world.

Later Steven revealed his dissatisfaction with the show’s crew and how they invaded his privacy and exhausted him during an interview with Auntie in April 2022. He said,

“I wasn’t a fan of the crew, though they were up my butt around the corner, side to side. And when I’m tired, I’m tired. I don’t want to record, but you have to. You’re under contract. And I don’t think they showed this. Did they show on TV when I called the police on them? Because I was tired and I wanted to go back to sleep.”

In the same interview, Steven Assanti also opened up about his interactions with other cast members of the show. Steven said that he had met Christina Phillips, Charity Pierce, Lee Sutton and his wife Rena Kiser, James King, and Kristen. He said that he was impressed by Christina’s transformation, as she was the first one to lose all the excess weight and look good. He also expressed his sadness over James King’s death, who passed away in 2020 due to kidney failure and sepsis.

Steven appeared in 5 episodes of My 600-lb Life and its spin-off from 2017-2020, according to IMDB.   Steven’s brother Justin, on the other hand, had a more successful and peaceful weight loss journey. He was the younger and lighter brother, who weighed just over 600 pounds at his heaviest. He was also the more reserved and rational one, who did not cause any trouble or drama. He followed Dr. Now’s diet and exercise plan and qualified for the surgery. He underwent a gastric bypass surgery and lost over 200 pounds.

Dr. Phil’s House of Hatred:

Before he was known for his transformation on My 600-lb Life, Steven had been on a reality TV show called Phil’s House of Hatred in 2007. He was one of the six guests who lived in Dr. Phil’s house for two weeks, trying to overcome their personal issues and conflicts with each other. Steven, who went by John at the time, was struggling with his obesity, addiction, and anger management. He often clashed with a skinny girl named Jessica, who had an eating disorder and a negative attitude towards him. Dr. Phil accused her of assuming Steven was “lazy, manipulative, and fundamentally dishonest”. However, Steven also displayed some problematic behaviors, such as refusing to clean himself, stealing painkillers from another guest, and lying about his past. Dr. Phil tried to help Steven by making him clean the house, confront his father, and attend therapy sessions. However, Steven did not seem to have a real awakening or make any significant changes in his life.

Steven Assanti Dead or Alive?: Life After My 600-lb Life

Despite his bad behavior and attitude, Steven also had some positive moments in My 600-lb life. He praised Dr. Now for being a “weight loss messiah” and credited him for saving his life. He said that without the surgery and the removal of his hernia, he would have been “long gone dead a long time ago”.

After leaving the show, Steven married a woman named Stephanie Sanger, whom he met online. He moved to Iowa to live with her and start a new life. He also made a Cameo page, where he creates videos for his fans. He said that he makes his own money through Cameo and TikTok and does not ask his father for any financial help.

However, Steven’s life after the show was not all smooth sailing. He faced some challenges and setbacks, such as contracting COVID-19, pneumonia in 2021, and a fatal heart attack.

In this exclusive interview, Steven admitted that he was in a “really horrible situation” and that he would have died if it had not been for his mother.

“I was found on the floor. The ambulance had to kick down my door, literally. I was all gray, and they had to shock my heart back into rhythm twice. My heart was beating at 204, they had told me after 204 beats that would have been the end of me. And if it wasn’t for my mom calling them and stuff, because she knew something was wrong, I probably would have been dead. And I was in the hospital after that for a two-week stay,”Steven said.

He recalled experiencing shocks in his chest during the incident and praying to Jesus to save him. He did not remember much of what happened before that, except crying out in his mind. Steven also went on to reveal that he suffers from several medical issues, such as his heart, high blood pressure, and lymphedema in his legs. He also said that he had to take several medications, including a “hot pill” and a beta blocker, to manage his symptoms.

However, Steven also claimed that he was doing better than when he was on the show, My 600-lb life. He said that he now sleeps on a regular bed, not a hospital bed, and that he feels more comfortable. 

Steven also opened his relationship with his younger brother and said that he was not on speaking terms and had no relationship at all.

“I don’t talk to Justin at all. I know he’s doing good. Sometimes I hear him in the background when I call my dad, but we have no relationship at all, even today.”

Later in February 2023 a family friend posted on Steven’s Instagram account that he had passed away due to heart failure, but later deleted the post. Steven’s brother, Justin Assanti who runs his own shop, Hobby Haven, confirmed that Steven was still alive, but that they were estranged.

Steven Assanti surprised many fans with his unexpected love story and marriage with Stephanie Sanger, a massage therapist from Iowa. The couple met online and tied the knot in 2018, after a whirlwind romance that lasted only a few months.

How Steven and Stephanie Met

Steven Assanti first appeared on My 600-lb Life in 2017, along with his brother Justin, who also suffered from morbid obesity. Steven’s journey was fraught with challenges, as he clashed with Dr. Nowzaradan, the medical staff, and his own family. He was also addicted to painkillers and had a difficult time following the diet and exercise plan prescribed by Dr. Now. He was kicked out of the hospital several times for ordering pizza, abusing the staff, and lying about his weight.

However, Steven’s life took a turn when he met Stephanie Sanger, a single mother of a 13-year-old daughter, through a social media video chat. Steven recalled how their relationship started in an interview which was streamed live on Apr 11, 2022, on ‘Aunties’s Advice’ YouTube channel:

“Well, four years ago, I met her on YouTube Live or Facebook Live one-on-one. She was calling me cute and that’s how we connected. She kept telling me what songs to play because I was playing songs. Then I ignored her for two days and she texted me and said, ‘Well, I guess you don’t want a girlfriend.’ I was like, ‘What?’ because she’s so beautiful.”

Steven was smitten by Stephanie’s beauty and kindness. He said she was the first person who ever showed him genuine love and care. He decided to pursue a long-distance relationship with her, despite the challenges and doubts.

Stephanie, who lived in Iowa, was attracted to Steven’s personality and sense of humor. She decided to visit him in Texas, where he was undergoing treatment at Dr. Now’s clinic. She booked a hotel and sent a car to pick him up. Steven said that was the moment when their romance blossomed:

“We’ve only been talking for a couple of months, and she came down and got a hotel, and she sent a car out to pick me up, and I went there, and the rest is history.”

The couple spent a few days together, enjoying each other’s company and intimacy. They also met Dr. Now, who approved of their relationship and encouraged Steven to continue his weight loss journey. Steven said he felt motivated to change his life for the better, not only for himself, but also for Stephanie and her daughter.

How Steven and Stephanie Got Married

Steven and Stephanie’s relationship progressed quickly, and they decided to get married in Iowa, where Stephanie lived with her daughter. Steven moved in with them, leaving behind his brother and father in Rhode Island. He said that moving in with Stephanie and her daughter was a big change for him, as he had never been in a serious relationship before:

“Started a new chapter and move in is definitely a big change for me because I’ve never been in a steady, serious relationship with a real girl in person, especially a woman that has a child. Her daughter is 13 and she’s looking forward to my arrival to Iowa, but I’ve never met her yet. Me giving parental guidance to a teenager is new to me, but I’m going to just go with the flow. I don’t want to overthink it too much, but I’m definitely still trying to lose weight. And I would love to have skin surgery if I lost enough weight.”

Also, Steven had been struggling with his weight for years, and he hoped that moving in with Stephanie would help him achieve his goals. He said that Stephanie was supportive of his journey and cooked healthy meals every day. He also said that he was looking forward to having more intimacy with his girlfriend, which would distract him from food and boost his confidence:

“And Stephanie wants to help me. She really, really does. She does not believe in frozen food. She believes in home cooked meals and only home cooked meals. So I feel extremely blessed that I have found a woman that wants to help me with all of my goals. It’s going to be a positive side effect. It’s also going to help me lose weight quicker, because I’m not going to be so focused on food. I’m going to be focused on sex. I feel like the light at the end of the tunnel has finally shine on me brighter now.”

Steven and Stephanie got married in a courthouse ceremony in lowa, which was shown on a Where Are They Now? special of My 600-lb Life. The judge pronounced them husband and wife and said, “Steven, you may kiss the bride” and Steven was overjoyed.

How Steven and Stephanie’s Marriage Is Going

Steven and Stephanie’s marriage has not been without its ups and downs. Steven has admitted that he was the cause of most of their problems, as he still had issues with his mouth, manipulation, and addiction.

In ‘My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now?’ episode, an update by TLC on the Assanti brothers, Stephen said that Stephanie threatened to divorce him if he did not change his ways:

“I just don’t listen. I never listen and I don’t need to change. And if I don’t change, then she’ll get a divorce. She’ll divorce me in a heartbeat, basically. You know, every marriage has ups and downs. Sometimes more downs than ups. Up and down, up and down, you know.”

However, Steven said that he did not want to lose Stephanie.

“I kind of heat things up here a lot with my mouth and manipulation and stuff. I mean, we fight a lot, but I don’t want to get a divorce. I don’t.”

Despite their frequent arguments, the couple has also shown some signs of stability and commitment. In an interview in April 2022, Steven revealed his relationship status with his wife when he was still living in Iowa. He said that they lived in different households but they were still married and okay. He also said that they were working on getting a place again. He praised his wife for being a great help and supporting him since he moved there. He added that they had been married for four years at that point.

How Steven and Stephanie Are Doing Now

Steven and Stephanie’s love story is one of the most surprising and unconventional ones in the history of My 600-lb Life. Despite their challenges and differences, they have managed to stay together. Whether they will last or not remains to be seen, but for now, they seem to be hopeful for the future.

Steven Assanti: Wiki/Bio Facts Table