As the Queen of Hip-Hop/Soul, Mary J. Blige has raised a generation of R&B fans and artists on her music and message. While she is figuratively a mother to many, Mary has never had kids of her own.
Mary J. Blige Public Relationships
Mary J. Blige built her career on her ability to sing through heartache and struggle. This is because, in real life, Blige was struggling through some tough relationships with the men she’s dated. After making her debut in the early ’90s, Blige began dating fellow Hip-Hop/Soul pioneer and label mate K-Ci of Jodeci. The pair were a match made in heaven, two streetwise popstars with big soulful voices. Their duets showed off their incredible chemistry, but behind the scenes, the pair were constantly at odds and struggling with fame, jealousy, and drug abuse. The pressures of stardom eventually sent them in different directions, and they never married or started a family.
Her next public relationship would initially start off more positive. Blige would fall in love with and marry music industry professional Kendu Issacs. The relationship would inspire happier music from Blige and give her a taste of motherhood as she took on the role of step-mom to Kendu’s three kids. Unfortunately, things would sour between the two as emotional and verbal abuse would eventually give way to infinitely. Kendu and Blige would split in 2016. They never had a biological child.
Mary J. Blige Single at 51 Without Children
Mary J. Blige is currently 51 with no children. She joins the likes of Vivica A. Fox, Oprah Winfrey, and many other high profile women often questioned about their choice to not have children. While some admit that the timing just was not right, it’s important to note that all these women keep incredibly busy schedules. When asked about having children Mary J. Blige got very candid stating she enjoys her freedom and loves to come and go as she pleases. The R&B singer also mentioned how she watches family and friends scrambling around for babysitters and do not want to experience that.
Mary J. Blige is coming off a pretty massive year, dropping a new album and performing at the Super Bowl. The singer drops music frequently and tours heavily as well, in addition to taking on more television and film roles. She is also a brand ambassador for several notable brands she promotes on social media. In her spare time, Mary seems to enjoy partying and vacationing with friends like Sean “Diddy” Combs and Lil Kim.
Mary is also a fitness enthusiast and has been the queen of the revenge body showing off her toned figure in a handful of snaps on her IG. She captioned a picture of her in a gold bikini with #wherethemoneyresides. With that much going on, it is easy to understand why she never decided to have children. Mary said herself that she would feel bad adopting or fostering a child because she would have no time for them.
Mary J. Blige The Godmother
Mary is a godmother to Diddy’s son Justin Combs. She celebrated him on his birthday this year by posting a picture of him poolside. The caption read, “Happy Birthday to my beautiful, amazing & handsome godson @princejdc. I am beyond proud of you!! ❤️❤️❤️🥂🥂🎂🎂💥💥 #capricornseason”
Back in 2012, while promoting the film Rock of Ages, Mary defended her godson after it was reported that he accepted a scholarship to UCLA despite his father being a millionaire. A visibly annoyed Mary shut the conversation down immediately and said that people should be happy for him and know that he deserved the scholarship.
Mary J. Blige The Stepmother
Mary enjoyed being a bonus mom to Kendu’s children during their marriage. In 2007 she opened up about the kids saying that she “loved them so much” and that she did not want to pressure them to call her mommy. “Call me Mary, call me what you want. [They] don’t have to call me Mommy until [they’re] ready.” In other interviews, she gushed about Brianna, Jordan, and Nas and their aspirations for the future. She talked about Jordan wanting to be a filmmaker while Nas had aspirations to be a philosopher and public speaker. She and Brianna seemed to share a real bond as well. Brianna has since become a reality star and has spoken fondly about her former stepmother on tv.
The Current Status Of Mary J. Blige’s relationship with Kendu and His Children?
Brianna and Mary are no longer on speaking terms. She began her stint on Growing Up Hip-Hop around the same time Mary and her father were getting divorced. She admits that while she understood the divorce would be tough, she did not expect Mary to put so much distance between them. “Me and Mary, I thought we had, like, a real thing,” she said in an episode that aired around the split. “I love her, and I get it. She’s going through things, so she probably can’t talk to me right now, and I respect that, but to me, it’s almost like I lost somebody.” Siblings Jordan and Nas have never spoken out about Mary since the split.
