Tamar Braxton’s Boyfriend Appears to Throw Shade at Vince Herbert in Loving Ode

In a message espousing the importance of Black love, David Adefeso is standing by and up for his girlfriend Tamar Braxton. And, he’s also throwing shade in the process.

The financial services consultant and CEO took to Instagram Monday to defend his girlfriend of a year against naysayers. Such haters previously blasted Braxton for the way she reacted to sister Trina Braxton getting engaged. The proposal occurred during a family dinner that celebrated Tamar’s birthday.

Tamar Braxton
David Adefeso (left) and Tamar Braxton. (Photo: @david.adefeso/Instagram)

“When I met my @tamarbraxton 12 months ago she was angry, distraught and almost-completely broken,” Adefeso wrote June 10. “She’d lost her family, her friends, her job and was estranged from her mom and sisters who she loves so much.

“While her behavior was a significant cause of these misfortunes, it took me a while to recognize that there were other equally valid causes, including being repeatedly assaulted by men in her life she trusted (first physically as a child, then emotionally later on in life by deeply aggressive and utterly controlling romantic relationships); finally culminating in the continuing psychological damage brought on by working on a TV show she feels utterly shackled to due to contract terms,” he added, seemingly taking aim at Tamar’s most famous ex, estranged husband Vince Herbert.

Adefeso’s memo went on to state that he chose to love on Tamar and, slowly but surely, joy emerged. Additionally, Braxton used her past abuse to launch No Need TB Shame, an organization for others who have gone through the same thing.

He went on to espouse the importance of Black men uplifting the Black women they date.

“Some of what many have condescendingly coined as #AngryBlackWoman is simply a reflection of, and reaction to, the life experiences of our beautiful black women,” Adefeso explained. “So gentlemen, we DO NOT abandon our sistas when things get tough, and especially when they need us the most. We love them through it, we support them through it, and we protect them through it! #BlackMenStandUpForBlackWomen.”

The remarks drew lots of praise from fans.

“Keep telling us how much you love her. ❤️”

“Beautiful thats what real love looks like.”

“OMG This is beautiful!!!!!GOD bless! 👑❤️👸🏽”

However, the biggest amount of praise came from Tamar herself. She responded in the comments by saying in part that she was “completely speechless.”

“I love you with my entire heart,” she said as part of her concluding remarks in the lengthy comment.

tamar braxton

Since Tamar and Adefeso began dating last summer, there have been many changes with the star. Despite some instances like the one with her sisters or her blowups in the “Celebrity Big Brother” house, there have also been moments of light. While on the CBS reality series, Tamar mended her relationship with “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Kandi Burruss. Additionally, she began patching things up with her sisters late last year.

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

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 in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones 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.

Back to top