Mary J. Blige Reaches A Divorce Settlement With Ex Kendu Isaacs
After a process that began in 2016, Mary J. Blige has finally reached a settlement in her divorce from ex-husband and former manager Kendu Isaacs.
Mary J. Blige (L) and Kendu Isaacs attend the 24th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation's Oscar Viewing Party at The City of West Hollywood Park on February 28, 2016 in West Hollywood, California.
Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for EJAF.
Editor's Note: This post was originally published in April 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness in May 2025.
Mary J. Blige came to a settlement with ex-husband/manager Martin "Kendu" Isaacs on Friday — just two nights before her appearance at the Academy Awards ceremony Sunday night.
According to The Blast, Blige and Isaacs were scheduled to appear in court on Monday, but they were able to settle without a court appearance. Details of their settlement have not been made public.
The Grammy Award-winner filed for divorce in 2016, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split. The two had been married for 12 years. Though Blige had asked the court to reject any requests for spousal support, in June of 2017 she was ordered to pay her estranged husband $30,000 per month in temporary spousal support.
Court documents obtained by The Blast in January show Isaacs claimed that he had “experienced physical manifestations of stress and emotional distress from this matter, which has caused him to become hospitalized." He also claims he is “unemployable” and cannot pay rent without Blige's financial support.
According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE last May, during their marriage Blige claimed Isaacs spent more than $420,000 on “travel charges” involving a woman he was having an affair with. Blige also claimed that Isaacs refused to turn over possession of her “Grammy and other achievement awards.”
The singer, who has been a stepmother to Isaacs’ children from a previous relationship, has long claimed that she was the only breadwinner in the family and that she's been dealing with millions of dollars in dept.
The settlement came on Oscar weekend. Blige was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in the film Mudbound, as well as for Best Original Song for “Mighty River.”
