Who is Claudinette Jean? How The Fugees' early flop nearly ended 'Behind Every Man' star's marriage to Wyclef Jean
OWN celebrates women in their latest docu-series 'Behind Every Man', which shines the spotlight on the women behind famous men in the world, focusing on the passions, struggles and sacrifices they have had to make to support their men.
'Behind Every Man' is produced by Kingdom Reign Entertainment and LostNThought Productions and features couples like Tammy and Kirk Franklin; singer-songwriter Ne-Yo and his wife Crystal Smith; Big Sean and his mother Myra Anderson, plus Lamar Odom and his fiancé Sabrina Parr, Usher and his mother Jonnetta Patton and many more.
This time around, we are going to meet Haitian rapper and musician Wyclef Jean's wife Claudinette Jean, who is a professional fashion designer. The couple lives in Newark, New Jersey, and have been married since 1994.
Who is Claudinette Jean?
She has several feathers in her hat, including holding a bachelor's in Fashion Studies from Montclair State University. Her career in the fashion industry has spanned over 20 years. On her Instagram account, Claudinette shares photos of models, wearing dresses designed by her. She is also the CEO of her fashion design company, Fusha Designs INC, and her clients include Mary J. Blige, Ja Rule, Whitney Houston, her own husband Wyclef Jean, among others.
Ups and downs in married life
The couple's marriage has last for over two decades, and they like to keep their personal life away from the prying eyes of their media. However, Claudinette once revealed that she almost walked away when Wyclef's career with the band Fugees was unable to flourish. The Fugees were stumbling, when they came onto the scene in 1994 with their debut album 'Blunted On Reality'. The album was a dud and it only sold 12 units according to Uproxx. However, later, they struck gold with 'Killing Me Softly', and 'Ready or Not'. Later, they snagged a Grammy too.
The couple has adopted a Haitian girl named Angelina Claudinelle Jean. The Jeans often take off to lavish vacations and tours around the world, and they're often seen in public with Angelina, who is Haitian by birth. Apart from her gasp-worthy fashionista lifestyle, Claudinette is also said to be quite attached to her parents. Her parents came to the United States when Claudinette was eight years old. Her siblings include four brothers and a sister.