American comedian Gary Owen has spoken candidly about his estrangement from his family. On August 23, the 48-year-old celebrity admitted during an appearance on The Breakfast Club podcast that he hasn’t spoken to his children in a year due to his divorce from his estranged wife, Kenya Duke.
The comic continued:
“I’ve taken every step. My daughter is enrolled at A&T, so I traveled to Greensborough to visit her. When I knocked on her door, she didn’t answer. attempted to contact her at the airport. On social media, I’ve been blocked. I’ve used every available channel to try to contact my daughter. When I extend my hand, I am stopped.
Additionally, Owen claimed that news sources and social media, rather than their parents, were the source of his children’s knowledge about his divorce:
“We kept it from the kids. We were going to wait and do it together, but they found out through TMZ.
After a year, Owen has made the decision to speak up about the incident so that his children can hear his perspective. He said on the podcast:
“Everyone kept urging me to share my perspective. And to be completely honest, it’s another effort to get my kids to hear it.
In 2003, Kenya Duke and Gary Owen exchanged vows. Emilio, Kennedy, and Austin are the three children they have together. Duke and Emilo Toliver Senior’s biological son Emilio, their oldest child, is 31 years old. Owen and Duke’s biological children, Kennedy and Austin, are now aged 21 and 20, respectively.
Following 18 years of marriage, Duke filed for divorce in California’s Los Angeles County Superior Court in March 2021 on the grounds of irreconcilable differences.
People Magazine claimed in June of that same year that Duke had requested Owen for $44,000 per month in spousal support after she abandoned her “promising position as an account manager” for the comedian.
At the time, Duke made the following further claims:
“I am requesting that Gary be ordered to continue making the monthly installments of $44,000 because that has been our arrangement for roughly four years, as well as a lump sum payment of $88,000 because he has neglected to provide me money for the past two months,” the letter reads.
The podcaster and businesswoman, however, did not restrain herself from disclosing the details of her nuptials on social media. Duke said in a since-deleted Instagram post that Gary Owen withheld money from the family and had adulterous affairs while they were married.
Kenya Duke, who supposedly paid the mortgage, tagged the comedian in a lengthy post that she published, according to Hot New Whip Whop, and urged him to “stop lying about paying the mortgage.”
She added further:
“Those squatters you mention residing here don’t. We just have one issue—a liar and narcissist who no longer resides in the house. I’m doing me over there. You are not at all bothered by us in vain. You go too far. You are the 48-year-old version of the father you criticize so harshly on stage for treating you poorly when he was in his 20s.
Gary Owen also addressed Kenya’s allegations in June 2021 when he made an appearance on the Wendy Williams Show. He claimed that at the time, his attorney had advised him not to comment on the subject, but it appears that his divorce from Duke has taken a “major twist.”
“It’s a huge one, but I can’t talk about it just yet. It altered the divorce’s entire dynamic.
Gary Owen addressed media claims that he hasn’t seen his children during the same interview, saying they are all adults and that it’s “not uncommon when you have adult kids to not see them for a couple of months.” He clarified the situation further by saying:
“When the news first broke, my daughter was attending college. She has a job and is staying with Kenya. I’m traveling. We are conversing and texting.
Gary Owen also clarified that he is not a “deadbeat parent,” as Kenya Duke had referred to him after accusing him of infidelity.
