Teyana Taylor has been clear that ending a marriage is not something you “get over” quickly, especially when kids are involved. In a recent interview, she described divorce as a kind of grief, and said the real lesson has been learning how to still show up as partners in parenting, even when the relationship has changed.
Taylor and former NBA player Iman Shumpert were married in 2016, separated in 2023, and their divorce was finalized in July 2024. They share two daughters, Junie and Rue.
The biggest lesson: you still have to show up when kids are involved
Taylor’s main takeaway is simple but heavy: when you have children, you do not get to disappear from each other’s lives. She said that once kids are involved, you understand the importance of still showing up for each other, and doing your best to be strong co-parents for the long run.
She also framed it as setting the tone for the children, meaning the adults have to keep it together publicly and privately when it matters, even if it is hard.
Divorce is not just paperwork, it feels like a real loss
One of the most striking things she said is that divorce can feel like “grieving the death of a living being.” That is her way of explaining why it can hit so deeply even when both people are still alive, still around, and still connected through parenting.
That framing also explains why she talks about the emotional cost without turning it into a public war. She has repeatedly pushed the idea that heartbreak is real, but parenting responsibilities still come first.
A united front matters more than winning the breakup
Taylor has suggested that part of her learning curve was understanding how important it is to present stability for the kids. In the same stretch of coverage, she’s described the goal as being united enough to set an example, even if the relationship itself ended.
This is also why she has publicly criticized leaks and rumors around their divorce. From her side, she has said she wanted privacy, and court filings reported by major outlets describe disputes over sealed divorce details becoming public.
She refuses to rewrite the past just because it ended
Taylor has also said she does not want to “rewrite history.” In her view, the love was real while it existed, and it is possible to acknowledge that without pretending the whole relationship was fake.
That’s a more mature stance than the usual celebrity post-breakup script, because it leaves room for truth on both sides: something can be meaningful and still not work long-term.
She still believes in love and marriage, even after a hard ending
Here’s where a lot of people get it twisted. Many celebrities come out of divorce preaching that marriage is a trap. Taylor did the opposite. She said she does not want people to become scared of marriage, and called marriage a beautiful thing.
That does not mean she is romanticizing what she went through. It means she is separating her experience with one relationship from the idea of commitment itself.
Turning pain into work, instead of letting it define her
Taylor’s recent music has been closely tied to processing heartbreak and rebuilding. Vanity Fair notes her 2025 album Escape Room worked through the aftermath of her divorce, and PEOPLE has also described the project as deeply personal and shaped by that period of her life.
Whether you like her music or not, the pattern is clear: she is trying to convert a messy life chapter into something productive, while keeping her priorities locked on her kids and her career.
