The Truth About Mary J. Blige's Ex-Husband
When Mary J. Blige married her then-manager Kendu Issacs in 2003, it seemed like she had found true love. But, more than a decade later, the couple split, with Blige accusing her husband of treating her with "overwhelming disrespect" during their union.
"You start to realize that this man doesn't want you and he's just gone all the time and you're by yourself in the relationship," Blige said during an interview with Power 105.1's Angie Martinez (via People). "When you realize you're by yourself and you're just suffering through it, now it's time to do some investigating."
The singer also hinted that infidelity played a part in the relationship's demise, and Blige filed for divorce in 2016, citing irreconcilable differences. At the time, she was ordered to pay Isaacs $30,000 per month in temporary spousal support and requested that her ex not receive any spousal support.
She also claimed that Isaacs spent more than $420,000 traveling with his mistress while they were married and that, as the only breadwinner in the family, Blige had to pay off all of their debts, which totaled more than $10 million. In addition, Blige accused Isaacs of refusing to hand over her "Grammy and other achievement awards."
Their divorce settlement, finalized in 2018, was kept confidential, according to People. So who is the man who was once wed to the Grammy-winning artist?
Kendu Isaacs is a music producer and executive producer
Kendu Isaacs (his birth name is Martin) has made his career as a record producer and was a manager at K. I. Management, which is based in Berlin.
He became Mary J. Blige's manager during their relationship and worked for her record label, Matriarch Entertainment. He served as an executive producer on her albums "My Life II...The Journey Continues (Act 1)," "Stronger With Each Tear," and "A Mary Christmas" (per Amo Mama), as well as on her 2013 film, "Betty and Coretta" (per The Famous People).
Isaacs was linked to other music artists before his marriage to Blige, including Nia Long, Queen Latifah, Lauryn Hill, and Kimora Lee Simons. He was also previously married to a woman named Maurine for eight years, and they share two children, Jordan and Nas.
Isaacs also has a daughter, Briana Latrise, from a previous relationship. Briana has appeared on "Growing Up Hip Hop" and spoke out about her strained relationship with her father on social media.
"Legit only have 3 pictures of us together ... I honestly made EVERY excuse for you," she wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post (per Hip Hop DX). "Every single one....But the reality is....YOU'RE garbage," adding that "dealing with you in any capacity leaves me broken."