Singer Akon's wife Tomeka Thiam files for divorce

Singer-rapper Akon's wife, Tomeka Thiam, has filed for divorce from the artists just four days before what would have been their 29th wedding anniversary.

According to entertainment news outlet PEOPLE, Thiam filed the papers on Thursday citing irreconcilable differences as the reason.

The couple who share a 17-year-old child, Journey, is expected to share joint custody, with Thiam requesting physical custody while Akon receives visitation rights.

In her documents, she also asked for spousal support while asking the court that the "Chammak Challo" singer not be granted the same.

In 2022, the 52-year-old singer had spoken about his beliefs on polygamy on the "The Zeze Mills Show".

"(Polygamy is) part of our culture. Absolutely,” Akon said on Zeze Millz.

"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," he had added.

He had also said that it was his job to be there for his nine children and their mother.

"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 said.

“Communication allows me to be there every day. That's what my FaceTime phone is for," he said.

The couple got married on September 15, 1996.