Celebrity News
Actress and singer Mary J. Blige opened up about how she reclaimed her power after almost losing everything following her grueling divorce from her ex-husband, music producer Kendu Isaacs.
Blige and Isaacs were married for thirteen years, from 2003 to 2016, before the "Good Morning Gorgeous" songstress filed for divorce.
At the time, Blige cited the reason behind the couple's split as "irreconcilable differences." Despite the previous claims, it would ultimately be revealed that toxicity within their relationship and alleged infidelity on Isaacs' part played a major role in their demise.
ENews! reports that during the divorce proceedings, Blige --who had a prenuptial agreement that "waived any spousal support"--was ordered to pay her ex about $30,000 a month in alimony, significantly less than the original $129,319 a month Isaacs asked to maintain his lifestyle and the additional legal fees. Blige and Isaacs' divorce was officially finalized in June 2018.
Since then, the 52-year-old has shared details about her financial struggles while trying to keep up with the payments. Blige was allegedly millions of dollars in debt and claimed that because of the monthly alimony to Isaacs, there were times that she couldn't afford her rent.
In a recent interview with Afrotech, Blige recalled those challenging moments in her life, how she got through them, and the lessons she learned over the years.
Mary J. Blige On The Hard Times Following Her Divorce
In the May discussion, the "Real Love" vocalist disclosed that she was forced to return to work after her divorce was finalized because she "had nothing" left.
Blige explained that because of her name and celebrity status, she sought various job opportunities, such as music, films, television shows, paid partnerships, and touring, to make some income.
"That moment was when I got a divorce and got hit with all of that alimony. I was like, 'OK.' I never realized that this could happen to me in that way, and I was like at the bottom," she said. "I had nothing when I left out of that marriage and I had to work. I had my name, you know, so I had to work and so I did. I went on tour, I had to do everything to make that money to pay out the alimony."
To date, Blige's most recent work includes becoming an author, portraying the role of Monet Tejada in Starz Power Book II: Ghost, executive producing two Lifetime projects that are based on her song "Real Love" and the album "Strength of a Woman," and releasing her fourteenth studio album "Good Morning Gorgeous."
Mary On The Lessons She's Learned After Divorce
As the topic shifted to what Blige has learned throughout the entire ordeal, the "Take Me as I Am" singer explained that during her journey, she realized how important it is to not put her life "in someone else's hands" and to stay on top of everything, including finances.
Blige would add that with the pain she endured in her divorce and feeling helpless following the verdict, she would "never want to feel like that again," so she is taking the appropriate steps to prevent it.
"I realized that I put my life in someone else's hands that wouldn't take care of me. Now, I'm all over my business. I'm all over my finances. I'm all over my life because that was a painful feeling. I felt so weak and helpless, and I never want to feel like that again. So that's my aha moment… my divorce," she stated.
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Feature image by Derek White/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit
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