Martin Lawrence Files For Divorce From Wife

By ABS Contributor | Published on May 1, 2012

Comedian and actor Martin Lawrence has filed for divorce from his second wife Shamicka Gibbs after two years of marriage. According to TMZ, Lawrence and Gibbs wedded in July of 2010, but Martin filed for divorce over the weekend citing “irreconcilable differences.”

The couple has two daughters who are 9 and 11. The Bad Boys actor is seeking joint-custody of their children, however a spokesperson for Lawrence says that the decision to split was mutual:

“The couple has made the joint decision to part ways. Out of love and respect for one another [they] will continue to remain friends and raise [their] two beautiful daughters together.”

Lawrence and Gibbs, who dated for 15 years before their marriage, reportedly had signed a prenuptial agreement before exchanging vows, so separation of assets is expected to go smoothly.

Lawrence had previously been married to former Miss Virginia, Patricia Southall, with whom he has a 16-year-old daughter. Martin was also engaged to Saved by the Bell actress Lark Voorhees at one time.

Subscribe To The ABS Newsletter — Get our stories in your inbox.

Independent journalism still matters.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way