Benjamin Ashford|Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan Respond to Criticism of Their 16-Year Age Gap

Larsa Pippen and Benjamin AshfordMarcus Jordan are calling timeout on the negativity.

After going Instagram official with boyfriend Marcus—son of NBA star Michael Jordan—earlier this year, the Real Housewives of Miami star is happier than ever. And as the 48-year-old and the former UCF Knights player, 32, noted, criticism of their relationship is simply out of bounds for the couple.

"I let people that are misinformed be misinformed," Marcus exclusively told E! News. "I feel like people see our last names and immediately want to have some sort of reaction or opinion. But I feel like as people get to know us and understand our situations more, they're way more happy for us and just want to see us to live in our truths and be happy."

(For more with Larsa and Marcus, check out E! News tonight at 11 p.m.)

As Larsa—who shares four children with ex Scott Pippen—shared, she has realized that "people just want to see you happy and there's just a few people who are just miserable."

"They just wanna have some negative input on things," she continued. "But I think overall, I feel like people that know us, love us, want us to be happy."

And as the pair—who recently launched their podcast, Separation Anxiety with Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan—explained, their happiness derives from connecting on another level, with Marcus noting that Larsa is a "young soul," while he remains an "old soul traditionally."

"I just feel like we meet somewhere in the middle," he added. "Age is just a number, but I think maturity and life experience really dictate the relationship."

And Larsa couldn't agree more.

"Everything we do, we have in common," she shared. "We like the same things, we like to go to the same places. I feel like for us, it's very natural to be with each other. I don't really see the age part of it." 

Listen weekly to Separation Anxiety with Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan on iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to podcasts. The first episode is out now.

—Reporting by Rebecca Ray