Global music star Akon was facing a major personal challenge as his wife, Tomeka Thiam filed for divorce after nearly three decades together.
Court documents filed in Fulton County, Georgia, on September 11, 2025, revealed that Thiam was seeking to end the marriage on the grounds of irreconcilable differences.
The couple, who share one daughter, would have celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary next month.
In her petition, Thiam requested joint legal custody of their daughter, but asked the court to grant her primary physical custody, with visitation rights for Akon.
She also requested spousal support for herself while asking the court to deny any such request from the singer.
The divorce filing came as Akon, 51, continues to publicly defend his views on polygamy, a practice he associates with his cultural heritage.
In a 2022 appearance on The Zeze Mills Show, the singer described polygamy as natural within his background, “(Polygamy is) part of our culture. Absolutely. For me, it looks normal, because it’s culture for us. 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.”
Akon, who has acknowledged having nine children, has often spoken about balancing family responsibilities with his demanding career.
While stressing that he provides financial stability, he admitted his physical presence is sometimes limited, “My job ain’t to be doing all that extra stuff and these holidays and recitals. While I’m taking care of my responsibility to make sure the family has a roof over their head and food, if I have the time to do that and show love, yes, I will do that.”
He added that technology has helped him stay connected to his children despite his schedule, “Me showing up for my children is me being there for them financially.
“I’m there if I’m around. But it’s impossible to be everywhere and every place. And technology allows me to be there every day, FaceTime and other methods.”
Neither Akon nor Thiam has publicly commented since the divorce filing.
