There was a time when Teyana Taylor and Iman Shumpert were the darlings of the late millennial crowd. The two were both at the top of their respective professional careers as artists and athletes, and they were quickly becoming influencers simply for being a couple. Now that it has all fallen apart and resulted in divorce proceedings, it is starting to get ugly, and that is disheartening culturally.
According to reports, Taylor is accusing Shumpert of endangering their children with his lifestyle choices and is painting a reckless picture of her estranged husband. In court documents acquired by TMZ, the singer-actress alleges that Shumpert has been under the influence of cannabis while watching for their two daughters, Junie and Rue.
Say It Ain’t So, Shump …
Additionally, she claims in the documents that the former NBA player-turned-actor smokes cannabis around their children and even fails to feed them. She claims that Shump “consistently demonstrates a clear disregard for the safety of the minor children,” in the filing.
Then there are the other safety concerns that she has about his decision-making. Taylor alleges that in Chicago, Shumpert once placed their children in a rideshare to be dropped off at the United Center by themselves while he rode separately with a private driver to take him to the arena or, as written in the filing, “consistently demonstrates a clear disregard for the safety of the minor children.”
Taylor also alluded to feeling endangered by her ex and wrote in the court docs that she suffered “cruel treatment” and “willful infliction of pain bodily or mental … [that] reasonably justifies apprehension of danger to life, limb, or health.”
Back in 2022, he was arrested at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport after being caught with six ounces of cannabis in his bag by TSA and a Glock magazine and fourteen 9-millimeter rounds; however, he did not have a weapon.
Last September, Taylor took to social media to announce the couple’s separation in what felt like a surprise move, even though Taylor filed for divorce in January of 2023. However bittersweet, the couple would still be friendly amid the breakup.
It All Falls Apart
“AHT AHT! Not too much on my bestie! In all fairness, Iman and I are separated and have been for a while,” Taylor posted on her Instagram last September. “To be 1000% clear, ‘infidelity’ ain’t one of the reasons for our departure. 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. Most importantly we are FAMILY & in the 10yrs together, 7yrs married we ain’t ever played with or about THAT.
“We just keep y’all a***s out the group chat lol, which is the reason we’ve been able to successfully & peacefully separate without all of the outside noise. The only reason I’m even sharing THIS part of the chat is because the narratives are getting a little out of hand & it’s unfair to all parties involved. I hope this provided some clarity for y’all. Okay AunTey taking y’all back out the chat bye!”
Divorces can be brutal and even worse in the court of public opinion; for the couple that looked like the late millennial version of Black love, the disintegration of their romance is an unwelcome surprise.
