Jeannie Mai Responds After Facing Backlash for Saying She Wants to Be Submissive in Her Marriage

Jeannie Mai and Jeezy Are Engaged! Inside Their 'Quarantine Date Night' Proposal

The host of 'The Real' and rapper/philanthropist confirmed their romance last August

Jeannie Mai is continuing to defend her stance after asserting that she wants to be submissive to rapper Jeezy when they tie the knot.

Mai made the revelation last week during an episode of The Real, saying she wants "to submit to my man," explaining, "when I come home, I like the idea that my man leads us." After Mai shared her perspective on the talk show, she was met with some backlash from fans who disagreed with her position.

In an Instagram post on Sunday, the 41-year-old co-host defended her outlook, explaining that she believes relinquishing control is "power in itself."

"By giving the power to have someone lead in your life is power in itself. The power to relinquish control. You 'willingly submit' not 'forcibly submit,'" she captioned a photo of herself.

Craig Barritt/Getty Images Jeezy and Jeannie Mai

The Dancing with the Stars contestant also took the opportunity to plug Monday night's episode of the ABC reality dance competition series. "Speaking of submissions, submit them votes Monday night 😉 #TeamDreamofJeannie #DancingWithTheStars," she teased.

During the Oct. 6 episode of The Real, Mai said while she understands the idea has a "negative connotation," to her, doing so would be a welcome escape from her busy career.

"I want to submit to my man. ... Submitting has a negative connotation. It means that you are less important, you are lower than that person that you're submitting to. It usually can be like, you know, referenced as somebody who works lower than you, and that's not what I'm referring to here," Mai told her co-hosts Loni Love, Adrienne Bailon Houghton and Garcelle Beauvais.

"I'm a very dominant woman. I own my business, I lead my teams, I played my own manager, my own publicist, my own lawyer when I didn't have money to have those people," Mai continued. "When I come home, I like the idea that my man leads us."

RELATED: Jeannie Mai Reveals She Might Not Wear a White Wedding Dress to Tie the Knot with Jeezy

Mai clarified that her fiancé doesn't "make all the decisions for us," but that he "formulates it with our overall vision."

"He leads us and I like to submit to that," she said. "I don't want to lead in our household and in our marriage. I want him to lead, and I have all the essence of what I bring as a wife to make that decision, but I love that my husband will be the man that leads."

Jeezy/Twitter Jeannie Mai and Jeezy

Mai said her desire to take more of a submissive role formed after assessing her parents' marriage, which ended in divorce. "My mom ... she has a very strong force, and she took over a lot of decisions in the household, to the point that my dad, unless it was always going to be a fight, he was like, 'You know what? Go ahead.' And that caused a wedge," the star recalled.

Later, Mai opened up about her perspective during an appearance on the Tamron Hall Show after she received criticism from fans.

"I am 41. I don't care what kind of pushback I get from other women. This is my life," she said. "Coming out of divorce and also making a major decision to marry again after finding such a beautiful person, I want to be very clear and open about how our life can be so we can make sure our vision is aligned and that we both are empathetic to each other."

RELATED: Jeannie Mai Dedicates Adorable DWTS Dance to Fiancé Jeezy on His Birthday — It's 'Very Symbolic'

Jeezy, 43, popped the question to Mai on March 27, PEOPLE confirmed. The rapper/philanthropist originally wanted to propose sometime in April during a previously planned trip to Vietnam, but after the COVID-19 pandemic restricted travel around the globe, he decided to surprise her during a special date night at home in Los Angeles.

Courtesy Jeannie Mai Jeezy and Jeannie Mai

Last month, Mai dedicated her week three DWTS dance to her fiancé for his birthday. For the show's Disney night, Mai performed a Viennese Waltz to the tune of "Married Life" from the movie Up.

"He adds to my dreams," she said. "He colors them in."

Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays (8 pm. ET) on ABC.

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