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From relationship goals to divorce, we’ve watched some of our favorite Black celebrities divorce after years of marriage. Tina Knowles Lawson is the latest celebrity woman to file for divorce from her partner Richard Lawson, after eight years of marriage, and the announcement shook up the Internet just like the other ex-couples on this list.
Days before Tina Knowles, aka Mama Tina, filed for divorce from Richard Lawson, fans were speculating things were awry with the couple since they stopped engaging on social media and weren’t seen together at certain major family events, ie: Gloria Carter’s wedding.
Tina Knowles cited the reason for the divorce as “irreconcilable differences,” TMZ reports. Tina took to social media to share a quote from Michael J. Fox about perfectionism. “Came across this quote this morning. I could not agree more with Micheal J Fox! I believe Any human being who thinks that they are perfect, or someone else could be perfect is delusional! ! I believe that Only God is perfect ! What about you?” she captioned the quote.
A clip of an interview from Own’s Black Love show shows an awkward reaction from Richard while Tina sang his praises but reiterated he isn’t “perfect.”
Fans also noticed Richard had deleted his Twitter account and screenshots showing him liking pornographic tweets surfaced. Neither Tina nor Richard has directly addressed the divorce news, but we’ll be following their split.
From Tia Mowry and Cory Hardrict to Scrap and The Bam, here are eight times we were shocked by Black celebrities’ divorce.
1. Jodie Turner-Smith and Joshua Jackson
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Queen & Slim actress Jodie Turner-Smith filed for divorce from former Dawson’s Creek actor Joshua Jackson after nearly four years of marriage, TMZ reports. Citing “irreconcilable differences,” Jodie is requesting joint custody of their daughter Juno.
2. Young Jeexy and Jeannie Mai
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After two years of marriage, Atlanta-based rapper Jeezy has filed for a divorce from Jeanie Mai.
In documents obtained by TMZ, Jeezy filed on Thursday stating their marriage was “irretrievably broken” with “no hope of reconciliation.” The seemingly happy couple welcomed their first child, Monaco, born in January 2022. The rapper is asking for joint custody of their daughter.
3. Niecy Nash and Jay Tucker
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Actress Niecy Nash and her ex-husband Jay Tucker’s divorce really threw us for a loop. Niecy, who openly praised her husband and famously said in 2014, “A BJ a day keeps the divorce attorney away’,” filed for divorce in October 2019 after eight years of marriage.
“We believe in the beauty of truth. Always have,” the ex-couple announced in a joint statement. “Our truth is that in this season of our lives, we are better friends than partners in marriage. Our union was such a gorgeous ride. And as we go our separate ways now, we feel fortunate for the love we share—present tense.”
Less than a year later, Niecy came out as bisexual and got engaged to her now wife Jessica Betts.
4. Tia Mowry-Hardrict and Cory Hardrict
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Tia Mowry and Cory Hardrict made headline news when they announced their divorce after 14 years of marriage. In our June/July cover story, Tia Mowry opened up about the divorce saying it was a five-year journey, and through therapy and the death of two loved ones, she decided she was unhappy in her marriage.
“That woke me up. I asked myself, ‘Tia, are you happy?’ And I said, I truly need to find my peace and my happiness. That’s when I went to therapy,” she said in our cover story. “I just started to begin to blossom, evolve, learn, and grow. That was like the aha moment. The pivotal moment where I was like, you know what? It’s time to really start living your truth.”
Tia is living her best life co-parenting with Cory.
5. The Bam and Lil’ Scrappy
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Despite numerous divorce threats, we never thought Bambi and Scrappy would actually end their five-year marriage. The reality TV stars’ bitter divorce played out in front of our eyes on Love & Hip Hop Atlanta and social media. Scrappy was rumored to be having inappropriate conversations with his ex Diamond, who he attended the 2023 BET Awards with.
Since their divorce, Bambi and Scrappy have been embracing single life. The duo had respective divorce parties amid constant drama between both sides’ family and friends. Bambi had a social media spat with Scrappy’s oldest daughter Emani and her mother Erica Dixon and shared her thoughts on Momma Dee post-break-up. With three shared children, we hope these former lovers get to a good place.
6. Ne-Yo and Crystal Renay
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Ne-Yo and Crystal Renay shockingly ended their marriage after renewing their vows in a lavish ceremony with their friends and family in attendance. It was only a few months later, Crystal filed for divorce after accusing the R&B singer of fathering a child outside of their marriage.
“I gained 3 beautiful children out of this but nothing else but wasted years and heartache,” Crystal said in a shocking social media post. “I am not a victim. I’m choosing to stand tall with my head held high. If someone can’t love you the way you deserve then it’s up to you to love yourself. With no hate in my heart. I wish him nothing but the best.”
Ne-Yo was ordered to pay his ex-wife $1.6 million, $20,000 for moving expenses and $150,000 for a new car, $12,000 a month in child support for their three children, and $5,000 per month in alimony for the next three years, TMZ reported.
7. Meagan Good and DeVon Franklin
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After nine years of marriage, DeVon Franklin and Meagan Good mutually announced their divorce in a post that rocked the Internet. “After much prayer and consideration, we have decided to go into our futures separately but forever connected,” they wrote on social media.
Meagan opened up about the divorce in an interview with Essence, “It’s nothing that I would have ever chosen, and when I realized that it was happening, I was devastated,” said Good, 41. “I was like, ‘This is me, Lord. I did everything that I could do to the best of my ability. I don’t understand why I did all these things, and then this is my end result.'”
Meagan and DeVon finalized their divorce in June 2021. Meagan has since moved on with troubled actor Jonathan Majors.
8. Sterling Shepherd and Chanel Iman
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NFL star Sterling Shepherd and supermodel Chanel Iman blindsided the world with their divorce. According to reports, their marriage was rocky for a year before they went public with their divorce. Sterling and Chanel were together for six years and share two children.
Chanel Iman was awarded their marital home in NJ, and Sterling was ordered to her monthly living expenses while she lives there.
While Sterling is ramping up for football season, Chanel Iman is expecting a child with her new fiance Davon Godchaux.
