Michael Arceneaux Talks Money and Emotional Debt

By Joyzel Acevedo | April 8, 2020 | 7:20pm

Entertainment TV

Michael Arceneaux, author of the memoir and soon-to-be television show I Can’t Date Jesus, has struggled with debt as a writer, juggling student loans and trying to maintain perfect credit. In his new book, I Don’t Want to Die Poor, out this week, he breaks down the personal politics of money. “I really wanted to write about how student loan debt can impact every facet of your life,” he tells Jezebel, “and not necessarily just the financial amount you pay but the emotional debt that we carry.”

In March, the federal government announced that student loan payments would be deferred until September 30, with interest also suspended amid the pandemic. While it certainly helps those in financial straits, Arceneaux looks at the move more like a bandaid on a gunshot wound. “It’s great in the interim but doesn’t speak to folks like me who have private loans.”