THE REAL co-host and Dancing with the Stars contestant Jeannie Mai tied the knot with rapper Jeezy in 2021.
On September 15, 2023, it was revealed that the Atlanta native had filed for divorce from his wife of over two years.
Who is Jeannie Mai's estranged husband, Jeezy?
Jay Wayne Jenkins, popularly known as Jeezy, was born in Columbia, South Carolina, on September 28, 1977.
The 45-year-old is an American rapper known for his hits Put On, featuring Kanye West, and I'm So Hood.
He has released nine studio albums and won awards for hits like Love in This Club and Hard, featuring Rihanna.
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Throughout his musical career, Jeezy has also collaborated with the likes of Akon, Usher, and more.
His net worth is estimated to be $10 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Jeezy was previously married to Mahlet 'Mahi' Gebremedhin, with whom he shares a daughter named Amra.
Are Jeannie Mai and Jeezy getting divorced?
Jeannie and 43-year-old Jeezy began dating in September 2019. They announced their engagement in April 2020.
Jeannie, who competed in Dancing With the Stars, has gushed over Jeezy and his thoughtful gestures in the media.
Back in 2020, Jeezy rented a sky-high billboard in Los Angeles to encourage people to vote for her and her pro partner, Brandon Armstrong, on the show.
"Who does that? Who gets their fiancée a billboard just to encourage people to vote for Dancing With the Stars on their birthday?" she told ET at the time.
"It's his birthday right now, and he is busy getting me a billboard to help me garner votes. I don't even know what the price tag is on that, but beyond that, just the gesture, to believe in us."
"That is the type of man he is, and I hope everyone seeing that now can understand why the mere gesture of dedicating a dance to him is the least I can do," she added. "Because he truly is the love of my life."
Jeannie initially confirmed to Vogue that she and Jeezy tied the knot in Atlanta on Saturday, March 27, 2021.
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She told the outlet: “We were really looking forward to having all of our friends and family there to celebrate."
The Dancing with the Stars alum continued: “But we had to change all of our wedding plans due to COVID.
"After Jeezy’s mother unexpectedly passed, we quickly learned that life is too short. And at the end of the day, Jeezy and I really just wanted to become husband and wife."
However, on September 15, 2023, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution revealed that Jeezy filed for divorce from Jeannie, roughly two and a half years after getting married.
At the time, Jeannie accused Jeezy of infidelity.
Do Jeannie Mai and Jeezy have children?
In September 2021, Jeannie revealed that she was expecting her first child with Jeezy.
"Jeezy and I have been kind of saving this and hiding this for five months. So we're relieved to finally share the news," she said at the time.
On January 11, 2022, Jeannie announced that she gave birth to her and Jeezy's first child together; the baby girl was Jeezy's fourth child.
“I asked God for a life of love and happiness. He sent me my family,” she said via Instagram. “Baby Jenkins is here ????❤️.”
They named her Monaco.
After divorcing, the former couple faced tension over the custody of their daughter.
In April 2024, Jeezy filed a motion in Georgia, claiming that Monaco “would have more stability” if he was given “primary physical custody” of her.
“[Jeezy] is afraid that the bond between him and the parties’ minor will be diminished because of his lack of parenting time,” the motion read.
Per court documents, Jeezy claims that Jeannie limits the time he can spend with Monaco despite agreeing to a schedule beforehand. The rapper also claimed that some of Jeannie's relatives "removed" Monaco from Georgia, and took her to all sorts of places, including Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Dallas, and Vietnam.
However, days later, Jeezy backtracked on his initial request for full custody and filed a motion for split custody instead.
Per TMZ, his new motion claimed that Jeannie had restricted his access to Monaco after their informal custody agreement in late 2023.
He alleged that in March 2024, he hoped to take Monaco on vacation, only to find out that she wasn't in the home he previously shared with Jeannie.
Jeannie apparently moved out and often fails to inform Jeezy of Monaco's whereabouts, which he claims violates their agreement.
Jeezy also said that Jeannie had been limiting his FaceTime calls with his child by blocking his number.
In the motion, Jeezy noted that keeping Monaco away from him “will detrimentally affect” her “emotional state.”
Jeezy is asking for a hearing to formally work out a parenting schedule between him and Jeannie, which would equally split Monaco's time between them.
Jeannie, for her part, said in November 2023 that she wanted to "foster an open, supportive, and safe environment for both parents to actively participate.”
How many times has Jeannie Mai been married?
Before Jeezy, the TV host was previously married to Freddie Harteis.
Jeannie and Freddie, a self-confessed "passionate outdoorsman" and hunter, married in 2007 and were wed for ten years before their divorce was finalized in 2018.
She explained how their marriage deteriorated due to her lack of desire to have children.
“Before we got married, I was very clear about the fact that I probably would not have kids, just because I’ve never felt that,” the host told People.
“And now, getting older, he definitely seems like he wants kids, and he actually came out and said that he wants children.
“When you physically see how a man is with a child, and if the man really desires to be a father, and you know that you are that block between that happening, you just don’t feel right about yourself every single day,” she revealed.
Although the two are now separated and have both moved on, she said that she wishes him "happiness every single day."
