Akon’s Wife Files for Divorce After Nearly 29 Years of Marriage
Tomeka Thaim filed for divorce from the musician on Thursday, Sept. 11, citing irreconcilable differences according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.
The timing is significant. The filing came just four days before what would have been their 29th wedding anniversary.
Thaim listed their date of separation as “TBD” in the filing. The couple shares one child together, 17-year-old daughter Journey.
Custody and Support Requests
Thaim requested joint legal custody of Journey but wants physical custody of the teenager. She’s asking for Akon to receive visitation rights.
The filing also includes a request for spousal support. Thaim asked the court not to award any spousal support to the 52-year-old “Smack That” singer.
Akon’s Views on Polygamy
The divorce filing comes amid Akon’s public statements about polygamy and multiple relationships. In a 2022 interview on The Zeze Mills Show, he revealed having nine children.
Musician Amirror alleged in 2023 that she was one of Akon’s four wives.
“[Polygamy is] part of our culture. Absolutely. For me, it looks normal, because it’s culture for us. We didn’t go outside of our African culture when we got to the Western world.”
Akon explained his perspective during the interview, saying Western society created rules “without putting nature into account.”
Parenting Philosophy
The “Don’t Matter” singer described his approach to fatherhood during the same interview. He said he’s “there for” all nine of his children.
Akon considers his primary job to “raise my kids to be responsible, to be understanding” and to “protect their mother.”
“My job ain’t to be doing all that extra stuff and these holidays and recitals. While I’m taking care of my responsibility to make sure the family has a roof over their head and food, if I have the time to do that and show love, yes, I will do that.”
He relies heavily on technology to maintain relationships with his children. “Communication allows me to be there every day. That’s what my FaceTime phone is for.”
Akon also stated that he considers both marriage and dating to be “real relationship[s].”
Multiple Households
According to Amirror’s interview with Rie Wit the Tea, Akon’s wives live in different locations including Atlanta, Los Angeles and Africa.
“We all have different households, we all have different lifestyles. We don’t have to see each other so we don’t have to be cool with each other… Akon is the type of man [where] it’s not manipulation, it’s just, if you f— with it [or] you don’t. This is our culture… Every woman wants to be the only one, and it’s okay.”
The divorce proceedings will likely continue as the court addresses custody arrangements and financial support for Journey and Thaim.
