It's understood that Michael met Larry and his sister, Camille, after his marriage with Jennifer came to an end. 

The couple parted ways sometime around June 2017, but they only opted for legal separation in December 2018, once the media frenzy surrounding Roseanne died down. 

They reportedly chose legal separation over divorce to allow Jennifer to stay on Michael's health insurance plan for a while. They handed in the divorce papers a few months later, in April 2019. 

Michael realized that he wanted to adopt Larry and Camille after she asked him if she wanted to be her dad. It's understood that Larry was in foster care when Michael first got in touch. 

"I, at the end of, I have two biological children from a previous marriage and at the end of that marriage, I met his older sister Camille, who a friend of mine kind of said 'she needs some support and guidance and mentorship' and we kind of took her into our home and [...] we became this family unit and she came to me and said 'I've never had a dad, would you be my dad,'" Michael explained during an appearance on Tamron Hall Show. 

Before adopting Larry and Camille, Michael wanted to make sure that his children were on board with the plan as well — and that the kids knew what they were signing up for. Fortunately, his proposal was met with resounding approval. 

"I had to talk to my two kids, my son Aaron, and my daughter and see that that was okay with them and make sure they understood, and then I had to have the conversation with Camille, you know, 'do you understand what that means' and 'I'm going to have high expectations for you,' and it means family rules and me being there and sometimes I'm going to say things that you don't like," Michael explained on Tamron Hall Show.

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