Mary Jane Blige, generally known as Mary J. Blige, is a familiar name in the music industry.
A Grammy Award-winning singer and composer, she released some of the most appreciated albums in the 90s and the 2000s, including the What’s 411? My Life, Share My World, and No More Drama.
Her popular songs during that time included ‘Family Affair,’ ‘Love Is All We Need,’ ‘Not Gon’ Cry,’ ‘Missing You,’ and ‘Share My World.’
Also an actor, Blige memorably played the part of Florence Jackson in the 2017 historical film Mudbound.
She has also appeared in TV series such as The Wiz Life!, American Idol, Betty & Coretta, and The Umbrella Academy.
Besides her job, the New York City native also garnered news throughout her active years for her personal life.
In the early 90s, she was in the spotlight for her on-and-off relationship with musician Cedric Hailey.
After they broke up, she married her manager, Martin “Kendu” Isaacs, on December 7, 2003, which also became a source of controversy for a long time.
The marriage between Blige and her Isaacs looked secure until the singer filed for divorce in July 2016.
Does Mary J. Blige Have Kids?
Despite being involved in various relationships — one of which was a marriage relationship for nearly a decade – Blige has no biological children.
That said, she has stepchildren, as her ex-husband, Isaacs, had three children from his previous engagements.
He reportedly shared two children, Nas and Jordan, with his first wife, Maurine, while he had another baby, a girl named Briana Latrise, from a teenage relationship.
Blige’s stepdaughter Latrise, the eldest of her three children, has also starred in the reality TV show Growing Up Hip-Hop.
In 2017, Latrise even expressed her sadness over her parents’ divorce during an episode of Growing Up Hip-Hop. She admitted she missed her stepmother post-divorce, stating,
In the program, she even talked directly to Blige, stating, “I haven’t heard from you since you filed for divorce. It almost makes me feel like, ‘Did I have something to do with it?’… ’cause she’s not talking to me. What did I do?”
Since then, Blige and Latrise have neither been photographed together nor have they addressed each other publicly.
Both Mary J. Blige and Briana Latrise Are Unhappy with Martin Isaacs
At the time of the divorce, Blige opened up to Variety about why her marriage with Isaacs didn’t go well.
She revealed that Isaacs was taking advantage of her popularity and often sought to acquire as much money from her as possible.
“I am doing OK. I am alive. I am not happy about a number of things. I thought someone liked me, right? It turns out, he was a con artist, and he did not, and now he is going for me for all my money,” she added.
Similarly, Latrise also slammed her father in a November 2018 Instagram post, revealing he prioritized courting women and financial ambition over their father-daughter relationship.
