It looks like Teyana Taylor and Iman Shumpert’s split wasn’t as amicable as they made it seem. Back in September, singer-slash-actor-slash-choreographer Teyana Taylor confirmed that she and her partner of ten years, former NBA star Iman Shumpert, quietly split up earlier in the year. “We are still the best of friends, great business partners and are one hell of a team when it comes to co-parenting our 2 beautiful children,” she captioned an Instagram post.
Court documents obtained by TMZ in November show that Taylor filed for divorce in January. The “Gonna Love Me” singer alleged that Shumpert had been “treating her cruelly and displaying extreme narcissistic behavior throughout the majority of their marriage.”
In response to Taylor’s filing, Shumpert is asking the court to change the reason for filing from “cruel treatment” to “irretrievable broken bond,” according to “Page Six.” “Cruel treatment” entails the “willful, persistent infliction of unnecessary suffering,” either mentally or physically, “to such an extent as to render cohabitation dangerous and unendurable,” and Shumpert argues that Taylor hasn’t provided any evidence suggesting he made her feel unsafe while they were married.
Shumpert and Taylor started dating in 2013, while he was recovering from knee surgery early in his NBA career. They welcomed their first daughter, Junie, two years later, and revealed in 2016 that they’d secretly gotten married at home in the same bathroom where Taylor delivered Junie. In 2020, another daughter, Rue Rose, arrived.
Speculation about Shumpert’s fidelity began sometime in 2022, when Taylor addressed a TikTok video that suggested she’d overdosed after learning her husband had cheated on her. “We got bigger fucking fish to fry here y’all,” she wrote. “Now carry on. Nothing to see here.” The chatter intensified again earlier this year, when a celebrity-news Instagram account circulated a theory that Shumpert had cheated on Taylor with an artist signed to his music label. Though that artist denied anything had happened, the speculation took on enough of a life that Taylor addressed it on Instagram.
“AHT AHT! Not too much on my bestie!” Taylor wrote under a photo of the couple dressed in Wayne’s World costumes. “Iman and I are separated and have been for a while,” she confirmed, but “to be 1000% clear, ‘infidelity’ ain’t one of the reasons for our departure.”
That, according to TMZ, was Taylor being “graceful.” In the court documents, Taylor highlights Shumpert’s multiple infidelity scandals. She claims that after she filed for divorce, he insisted on getting back together, and when she gave it a shot, he cheated on her again. Taylor states that while she tried to stay with Shumpert, he “reacted with further cruel treatment and selfishness.”
The court filings also reveal that this was not the first time Taylor tried to leave Shumpert. According to her, she tried to make things work even though the former basketball player was “being extremely emotionally and mentally abusive towards her.”
Taylor began the divorce process in 2021, but reconciled with Shumpert because he “remained in an insecure state as his NBA career continued to wind down.” In 2022, she filed for divorce, but withdrew the filing one day later. Finally, she went through with divorce proceedings this past January because she was “unable to handle the emotional rollercoaster.”
According to TMZ, Taylor is seeking temporary and permanent primary physical custody, joint legal custody, and child support. She claims that Shumpert has not spent significant time with their children since moving out in October.
In an Instagram Story, Taylor wrote that she was upset these court filings had been leaked to TMZ. “I mind my business, don’t bother nobody & y’all know I’ve never played about my children, family & our privacy,” she said. “It is very heartbreaking that someone would take out the time to make such a private matter public for the world to see.”
This post has been updated.
