Teyana Taylor has filed for divorce from her husband, former Knicks star Iman Shumpert, who she accused of being a narcissistic cheater during their marriage.
The divorce petition was filed in January of this year, where she accused Shumpert of being extremely emotionally and mentally abusive to her during the marriage and also cheating on her multiple times with different women.
She and Shumpert got married in 2016 and have two daughters, Junie and Rue. However, the singer described her marriage to Shumpert as a “rollercoaster’ and described him as being condescending, manipulative, and a jealous narcissist.
Her petition relies on the no-fault ground for divorce that the marriage has irretrievably broken down, and a resumption is unlikely to take place.
It’s been speculated that she and Shumpert were separated after he was spotted out with different women during the early part of the year. However, Teyana only addressed the state of their relationship in September after photos surfaced showing him and a new woman on a date. Teyana clarified that she and Shumpert were separated and that he was not cheating on her, as fans said.
In her petition, she raised that the parties tried to work on the marriage before being separated, but Shumpert was caught cheating on her- something she referred to as humiliating and cruel as it caused a scandal in the Hollywood industry.
According to TMZ, the petition also accused Shumpert of narcissism and expressing jealous tendencies towards her career as a successful artist during most of their marriage, which put her on an “emotional rollercoaster.”
“[Petitioner] began to intentionally dim her light for her husband to try to have a harmonious and peaceful marriage but he became more and more angry,” she said about Shumpert towards her growing fame as an actress and singer.
She cited an instance when Shumpert became upset after photographers would ask to photograph her alone on the red carpet versus them as a couple and she claimed that he was insecure towards her even after signing a $40 million contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015.
She added that the athlete would also pick petty arguments with her and use condescending language towards her career, which also led to her turning down major deals and jobs to work because he did not want her to work.
After having her daughters, Teyana said she was retiring from music, but in her divorce filing, she claimed that Shumpert was upset and complained about her not bringing money into the home.
The couple were reportedly separated since October 2022.
As for her orders, she wants to have temporary and permanent primary physical custody, plus joint legal custody and child support for the children, as she revealed that since the separation, Shumpert has barely spent time with his children.
In the meantime, as news spread about the divorce, Shumpert posted a meme on his Instagram account. The meme is of Joe Budden in a pool while reading on a phone. He hasn’t denied or accepted the claims.
His lawyer, Stephen C. Steele, however, released a statement on behalf of his client.
“Mr. Shumpert hopes parties and counsel can work toward a fair resolution, keeping the best interests of the children of paramount concern,” the statement reads.
Teyana Taylor has since issued a lengthy statement via her IG about her divorce documents leaking online while asking for privacy to protect her children.
“I mind my business, don’t bother nobody, & y’all know I’ve never played about my children, family, and our privacy,” Taylor said. “I have not spoken about this private matter to any media outlets or blogs, etc. So everyone claiming ‘Teyana said’ didn’t get any statements directly from ME.”
This will be the FIRST and LAST time I speak on this matter. pic.twitter.com/3ROjWazGM2
— TEYANA M.J. SHUMPERT (@TEYANATAYLOR) November 24, 2023
“These statements were taken from private court documents that were leaked to the public,” she continued. “It is very heartbreaking that someone would take out the time to make such a private matter public for the world to see. However, protecting my family is one thing I’ve ALWAYS done, & for my children, I will continue to do so.”
“Please allow myself and my family some privacy to resolve this matter in peace,” she concluded her message saying.
