Tamar Braxton and her husband Vincent Herbert are officially calling it quits after nine years of marriage and we are all kinds of upset.
When news broke that the singer and reality TV star filed for divorce from her husband we were sad but not surprised.
Tamar has been tossing out trinkets of shade to her husband for months and all signs have suggested the youngest Braxton sister was ready to go.
The couple’s split hits close to home for fans who have spent several years watching their roller coaster of a romance unfold on WE tv’s Braxton Family Values and Tamar & Vince.
We sometimes balked at their bickering and giggled at Tamar’s tireless attempts to get her man to cooperate with whatever mission she was currently on—nabbing a solo singing career, having a baby, seeking out a healthier lifestyle; but we never thought the two would call it quits until it became very clear that things had taken a turn.
Somewhere between Tamar’s exit from The Real and Vince’s multi-million lawsuit with Sony Music, things must have gone horribly wrong. I can’t think of too many reality TV couple who have hung on after the wave of fame came crashing down.
When we met Tamar and Vince their dynamic was adorable. She was Lucy trying to get in Ricky’s show and he was constantly trying to keep his wife’s career-chasing in check. Fast-forward to her getting all the things she wished for and being crowned Queen of the Doing Way Too Much Kingdom.
By 2013, Tamar had secured a second season of her spin-off show, Tamar & Vince, signed to Epic Records, dropped a Grammy-nominated album, nabbed a hosting seat on The Real, and you know—created a human.
At that point these two were partners in life, parenthood and business and Tamar was still claiming her man every chance she got and threatening to cut any fool who considered trying to cozy up to her boo.
Momentum seemed to be pushing Tamar toward the top and she continued making big moves until things suddenly started crashing down. Somewhere between their combined health issues, pulling out of Dancing With The Stars and cancelling her tour things went all the way left.
Next thing we know, she was booted from The Real and she’s snapping back at haters on social media when they start squawking about her man’s rumored infidelity. Instead of taking the high road (as most people in happy relationships would do) Tamar seemed to be called by Gawd himself to challenge every chickenhead who threw shade in her direction to show receipts or shut up?
Albums dropped that no one knew about. Rumors of secret babies swirled. Lawsuits abounded resulting in the couple owing millions. Then the house went up for sale and we knew it was a wrap.
Let’s not forget the alleged blowout the pair had last summer while at an Atlanta Ritz Carlton. Even though tape of the 9-1-1 call from the explosive fight was released, the pair went radio silent about the issues they used to share with the public so freely, suggesting things were getting too serious to try and play off.
Given Tamar’s slated stint on the Xscape tour next year and the status of her not-so-hot-anymore music career, we would usually presume (and hope) this split was a ploy for publicity.
But, as Tamar’s rep confirmed to TMZ, this split is the real deal.
Cortney Wills is an entertainment writer for theGrio. She is based in Los Angeles.