Warning: This article references domestic violence.
In September 2023, rapper and former Boyz n da Hood member Jeezy surprised fans by filing for divorce from his wife of two years, Jeannie Mai Jenkins. Jenkins (née Jeannie Mai, sometimes credited as such), is a TV host best known as co-host of daytime talk show The Real for nearly a decade, from 2013 to 2022. The couple have one daughter together.
A filing at the Superior Court of Fulton County, Georgia, was obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. The petition, filed by Jeezy, whose real name is Jay Wayne Jenkins, described the marriage between the two as “irretrievably broken,” and that there was “no hope for reconciliation.”
Initial reports of Jeezy and Jeannie Mai’s divorce were contradictory
The language invoked by Jenkins in the filing is akin to “irreconcilable differences,” a common legal term used as grounds for divorce. According to Georgia law, where the former couple’s divorce proceedings are being held, irreconcilable differences is a term that is “intentionally vague and broad to include all issues that a couple might have which could lead to the permanent breakdown of a marriage,” typically in a no-fault divorce filing.
THR also reported that the rapper applied for joint custody of their infant daughter, born in 2022. In addition, the filing is said to reference a pre-nuptial agreement signed by the couple, who have been together since 2018, before their 2021 wedding.
Despite this news, it has been reported that Jeannie Mai Jenkins is attempting to prevent the continuation of the divorce process. “She got married to stay married,” a source close to the TV host told People. “She’s committed to trying to save her marriage.”
A second source told the publication that the couple have “had issues for a long time,” with a long-distance relationship allegedly being a factor in the breakdown of their marriage.
“He spends nearly all his time in Atlanta, and she was flying back and forth between there and LA,” the source claims. “She was scaling back a bit and trying to spend more time in Atlanta to work on their issues.”
“She obviously knew they had problems, but she wasn’t expecting a divorce. Now she’s trying to figure out what her future looks like and where she’ll be living,” the source concluded.
In a somewhat contradictory report by Entertainment Tonight, a source claims “certain family values and expectations,” were the cause of the couples’ split. “They had different views, and each felt like their needs weren’t being completely met,” the source claims.
In the same report by Bossip, the site also claimed that there was speculation in the industry that Jeannie Mai had been having an affair with fellow TV host, Mario Lopez. However, in yet another anonymous source-based report, TMZ claimed that there was “no truth” to the affair allegations and that infidelity was not part of Jeezy and Jeannie’s grounds for divorce.
Reports made in 2024 point to abuse and child endangerment at the hands of Jeezy
Further reporting, however, points to an entirely different reason for the divorce, citing domestic violence and child neglect as primary reasons for the break-up. According to documents reviewed by The Cut, Mai recounted several instances of domestic violence by Jenkins, detailing a January 2022 incident, shortly after the birth of their daughter, in which “Jeezy refused to let her leave a parked car, called her a ‘whore,’ and hit her with a closed fist across her cheekbone and eye, giving her a subconjunctival hemorrhage”.
The documents obtained by The Cut also recounts an instance where Jenkins pushed Mai down the stairs of the San Francisco Ritz-Carlton during an argument after choking her, with hotel staff who rushed to the scene and “provided protection” serving as witnesses to the incident. The filings were also said that Mai’s therapist, couples’ counsellor, pastor, and close friends were told of the recurring violence in the relationship. Additionally, photos of Mai’s alleged injuries after such incidents were provided, as well as screenshots of text messages between the former couple where she sent him photos of injuries.
The Cut also states that the Mai’s filings also cited “creating an unsafe environment” for the couples’ daughter. The documents were said to allege the then-two-year-old was left home alone twice by Jenkins, and he had had left “guns and bullets in places their child could easily access,” citing an incident where their daughter found an AK-47 assault rifle “in a zipped-up Louis Vuitton bag on the parties’ dining room floor” in October 2023, one month after divorce proceedings began. The latter allegation was cited as an argument for providing Mai with primary custody of their daughter.
Jeezy has denied the allegations made public in the article. “The allegations are not only false, but also deeply disturbing, especially coming from someone I loved,” Jenkins said in a statement to the publication Page Six.
“This malicious attempt to tarnish my character and disrupt my family is ridiculous. It’s disheartening to witness the manipulation and deceit at play and at this time my main concern is being an active father to our daughter as I continue to fight for court mandated joint custody,” the rapper continued.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233), or text “START” to 88788 for safe, confidential support.
Published: Jun 25, 2024 05:20 am