Akon’s wife of nearly 29 years Tomeka Thiam filed for divorce from the “Lonely” singer, requesting spousal support and joint legal custody, according to a filing obtained by Billboard.
Akon and Tomeka Thiam are going their separate ways.
Three days before their 29th wedding anniversary, the “Smack That” singer’s wife filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split, according to court documents obtained by Billboard Sept. 12.
Tameka Thiam is seeking joint legal custody & sole legal custody of their 17-year-old daughter together.
Of Akon’s nine children, according to the documents, the couple share one minor child — a 17-year-old daughter named Journey — and Thiam is seeking joint legal custody and sole physical custody of the teen. She’s also seeking spousal support and is trying to get the court to block Akon from receiving any from her.
According to the filing, Akon (legal name: Aliaune Badara Thiam) and Tomeka Thiam have been married since Sept. 15, 1996 — meaning the filing comes just days ahead of their 29th wedding anniversary.
Billboard has reached out to Akon’s team for further comments on the matter.
Tomeka is seeking joint legal custody and sole physical custody of her and Akon’s 17-year-old daughter Journey, per the outlet. She is also seeking spousal support from the 52-year-old (whose legal name is Aliaune Badara Thiam) and has requested to block the court’s ability to award him any spousal support.
E! News has also reached out to reps for Akon and Tomeka for comment and has not yet heard back.
The divorce news is a rare bit of insight into Akon’s love life given that there has been speculation for years that he is a polygamist with multiple wives, though he purposefully allows that gossip to persist.
“I’mma let it stay a rumor,” he said during a 2022 interview with VladTV. “I like the fact that people are guessing now, I love it. I’m not confirming nor denying. You go online, you may see nine, you might see seven, you might see four. I love it, though.”
Akon also stated that he has “seven boys and two girls,” with the divorce filing confirming he has nine kids.
The role of being a dad is one the singer has been more vocal about, relating his experience of having multiple children with various women to that of Nick Cannon, who is dad to 12 kids with six women.
“That’s how life is supposed to be,” Akon explained during a 2023 appearance on The Zeze Mills Show. “Why not? [Nick’s] rich. He’s responsible. He takes care of every one of those children.”
He added, “The baby mothers are with it. They hurt for nothing. And they live comfortably. He’s there for every single one of those kids. I got nine and I’m there for every one of mine.”
The “Smack That” singer’s wife filed for divorce in September 2025, three days before their 29th anniversary, according to courts docs obtained by Billboard.
