Akon may be singing the blues following his wife Tomeka Thiam’s decision to call it quits after nearly three decades of marriage.
Thiam filed for divorce on Thursday, citing ‘irreconcilable difference,’ according to court papers obtained by People.
The rapper, 52, who caused a ruckus when he allegedly slapped a security guard during a performance in Russia, married Thiam on September 15, 1996 – meaning they were just four days away from celebrating their 29th wedding anniversary when Thiam filed to split.
Thiam has asked for joint legal custody and physical custody of their 17-year-old daughter and noted their date of separation was ‘TBD.’
She also wants spousal support for herself and has asked to court to hinder her estranged husband from seeking spousal support from her.
The Daily Mail has contacted a representative for Akon for comment but have not yet heard back.
Akon, 52, may be singing the blues. His wife Tomeka Thiam filed for divorce four days before their 29th anniversary; Pictured in Los Angeles in June
Tomeka Thiam, pictured, cited ‘irreconcilable difference’ as the reason for their split
Akon, born Alioune Badara Thiam, has not yet responded publicly to the filing.
The situation seems to be complicated as the Bananza artist has multiple spouses.
The Right Now rapper, who is from Senegal, where polygamy is permitted, in total has nine children.
Amirah-Iman Thiam appears to be one of Akon’s wives, and after the divorce news dropped she posted a loved-up photo with the musical artist.
The photo featured a diamond ring emoji and was poignantly soundtracked to the Gunna song ‘forever be mine’.
She has also released music, with Akon announcing last year: ‘The first lady of #konvictkulture @sincerelyamirror Drops her debut Album #REFLXNS.’
Akon said during a 2022 appearance on The Zeze Mills Show that polygamy is ‘part of our culture.’
‘For me, it looks normal, because it’s culture for us,’ he said. ‘We didn’t go outside of our African culture when we got to the Western world. See, the flaw that the Western world made is they created all these rules without putting nature into account.’
In July, the Lonely artist announced he was scrapping his plans to turn a remote stretch of West African coastline into a real-life Wakanda, based on the Black Panther movie.
The rapper’s estranged wife has asked the court for physical custody of their 17-year-old daughter and spousal support for herself; Pictured in Philadelphia in July
Thiam has asked for joint legal custody and physical custody of their 17-year-old daughter
Akon, who is from Senegal where polygamy is legal, reportedly has more than one wife and is the father of nine. Akon pictured with wife Amirah-Iman Thiam in Los Angeles in June 2024
The rapper has not publicly responded to his wife’s divorce filing; Pictured in Rio de Janeiro in September 2024
The plan was for the futuristic city to become high-tech utopia powered entirely by renewable energy and fueled by its own cryptocurrency.
Instead, the multi-billion dollar project collapsed amid funding woes, stalled construction, and legal headaches.
Senegal, which will host the 2026 Junior Olympic Games in the capital city of Dakar, is now focused on tourism infrastructure, with the land being repurposed for a more modest development.
Akon became an international success in 2004 following the release of his debut album and several top 10 hits included Locked Up.
In recent times, he has been less involved in the music industry after a series of singles that failed to replicate his earlier commercial success.
