After a very public back and forth divorce settlement and hearings that included Mary being without a home for a little while and her estranged husband asking for a six-figure spousal support, Mary J. Blige was officially divorced as of June 20, 2018.
According to court documents obtained by Entertainment Tonight, the Grammy award-winning singer’s divorce from her estranged husband, Kendu Isaacs, was finalized on Wednesday by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge, three months after the couple settled the split out of court and over a year after filing.
Mary J. Blige ended her marriage to her husband-manager after nearly 13 years.
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Court records show the award-winning singer filed for divorce from Martin "Kendu" Isaacs in 2016 in Los Angeles, citing irreconcilable differences.
Blige and Isaacs were married in December 2003 and have no children together. The actress-singer has won nine Grammy Awards, including for her albums "My Life, "Growing Pains" and "The Breakthrough."
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Upon initially filing for divorce, a rep for Mary said: "Ms. Blige issaddened to say [that] it is true that she has filed for divorce, saying sometimes things don’t work how we hoped they would… but, there is a divine plan and a reason for everything. Mary will continue writing and working on her album, along with her world tour. She thanks and appreciates her fans for their support and love through this very difficult emotional time."
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Blige and Isaacs tied the knot in December 2003 and have no children together. Isaacs is dad to three children from a previous relationship.
The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul opened up about their relationship — and how he helped her get sober — in an interview with Parade Magazine in 2007.
"We met when I hated men. … After I met him, everything changed in my life," she said at the time. "He was the first person to ever challenge what I did: 'Why are you drinking? Why do you hate yourself? You don't need to be around people who tear you down. You're beautiful, Mary.' He was the first man to ever tell me that."
According to Couples Counseling of Los Angeles, the most common reasons for divorce across the board are:
Married Too Soon - this happens when two people get hooked on the look of who or what they think marriage is. When people rush into a marriage without getting to know one another, there is a high risk of marital failure.
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Lack Of Communication - if not watched carefully, toxic patterns can set in that result in one or both parties in the marriage withdrawing from meaningful conversation.
Cheating and Infidelity - research suggests up to 41% of people engage in some form of physical or emotional infidelity. And if you think men do it more than women, think again. The research confirms that...
... acts of infidelity between the genders are mostly even.
Boredom In The Bedroom - At the beginning of almost all relationships, sexual energy is fairly high. As the relationship goes on and time continues, that energy can wax and wane. If not watched closely, intimacy in the bedroom can atrophy.
Loss of Autonomy - the ability to be with someone while also maintaining a sense of independence is a key ingredient for a successful, long term marriage. It is for this reason couples are encouraged to engage in pre marriage counseling as a way of exploring the topic of autonomy before getting hitched.
Money and Financial Issues - money is a major problem in many marriages. In fact, the majority of divorce related surveys suggest money is one of the biggest reasons couples split.
