Why did Tyrese Gibson and Samantha Lee Gibson split? 'Fast & Furious' star's marriage ends in 'painful' divorce
After a troubled marriage with his first wife, actor and rapper Tyrese Gibson found love again in the arms of Samantha Lee Gibson and they tied the knot in 2017. Now, the couple shocked their fans after announcing divorce on social media.
"We have decided to make a statement of a painful and significant development in our lives. After much thought, consideration, and prayer, We unfortunately have made the difficult decision to officially separate & divorce. Our intention is to remain the best of friends & strong coparents. We feel incredibly blessed to have found each other and deeply grateful for the 4 years we have been married to each other. Our journey together has been a ride of both ups & downs, but it’s a journey that neither of us would have chosen to take with anyone else. We truly have so much love & respect for each other. We both have grown tremendously within this relationship; we have shared so many beautiful memories and moments, and we also look forward to see the amazing futures we have ahead of us individually. As if 2020 hasn’t already been extremely grueling and challenging to us all we wanted to mutually speak on this now to keep this energy in 2020 and not take this energy into 2021. We would really appreciate your most sincere prayers and to respect our privacy at this time as we deal with the reality of where we are," Tyrese wrote on Instagram.
Who is Samantha Lee Gibson?
Born in October 1989 in Dayton, New Jersey, Samantha Lee has an Ecuadorian, Jamaican and African-American heritage. In an interview, she talked about her family background and revealed that her family had a lot of struggles and was “pretty dysfunctional". “My whole life was not peaceful. There were fights; my father left, just a lot of things I was dealing with,” she said. The 31-year-old obtained her bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Georgia in 2012 and graduated with a Cum Laude recognition.
Samantha has also completed her master’s degree in social work and a Marriage and Family therapy certification from UGA in 2015. She is also a licensed clinical social worker.
Gibson worked at Georgia Department of Human Services in the Division of Family and Children Services for a year, overseeing protective services for children involved in situations of domestic violence and abuse. Later, she joined Project Safe, Inc. as a Night/Weekend advocate, aiding victims and providing immediate assistance for their safety and offering educational programs to communities, among other tasks. Currently, she is working as the executive director of The Love Circle Foundation, a non-profit created by Tyrese Gibson to offer mentorship for young people.
How love bloomed
Tyrese and Samantha met in 2015 through some mutual friends. After Gibson showed his interest, they exchanged their numbers, but Samantha was hesitant about dating a celebrity. They connected again a year later, and after dating for less than a year, they got married in a secret ceremony on Valentine’s Day in 2017 at their Georgia home.
Gibson first shared the news on social media claiming that it was supposed to be a secret and received backlash after referring to Samantha as his “black queen", since many fans didn’t think she would count as Black because of her light skin. “I found the woman I can't live without," Tyrese told Pastor Dollar in an interview. He further said, "We went out of our way and took the time actually to get to know each other and be transparent. Rather, it’s embarrassing or crazy, tell me who you are, give me the heads-up about what I’m walking into…" The couple has now decided to co-parent their daughter Soraya Gibson. Tyrese was previously married to Norma Gibson and the marriage lasted for two years, from 2007 to 2009.