Comedian Gary Owen is being blasted by his ex-wife Kenya Duke on Instagram after he publicly announced that he hasn’t seen his children in nearly three years.
The former couple divorced after nearly 18 years of marriage and 23 years together following their separation in March 2021. Duke filed for divorce after accusing the “Ride Along” actor of having an affair, and the couple’s three children — Kennedy, Emilio, and Austin — had stopped speaking to him.
Owen admitted during an appearance on “The Breakfast Club” that his children were upset with him over the divorce. In return, Duke accused him of being a “deadbeat” dad and alleged he stopped supporting her and the kids a month after filing.
In a video clip from his podcast “Getsome with Gary Owen” on Nov. 11, the host spoke about his estranged relationship with his children. He captioned the post on Instagram, “This was important for me to do.”
“Most of the time, I keep my personal life personal,” he began. “I’ve learned that through the divorce. Try to keep it personal. But, uh, as a lot of people know, I haven’t seen my kids in almost three years, or spoken to ’em, since the divorce. And I understand they’re just I guess, healing in their own time, and I try to reach out and try to see ’em but it just hasn’t, hasn’t worked out yet.”
The comedian added that he recently planned on going to his daughter Kennedy’s college.
“I’m gonna go to my daughter’s graduation, uh, next month at Northern Carolina A&T. I’m just gonna go by myself,” he explained. “I’m not gonna try to, uh, how can I put it? I’m not gonna try to make it awkward for her, because it is her day. So, uh, I’ll probably just fall back. I don’t want that to be the time we reconcile.”
Owen claims when he was visiting San Jose, he found out where his son Austin worked teaching kids how to swim. He said he went to see him with the intention of staying out of sight because he didn’t want to interrupt his son at work. Owen added that was proud to see how his son had grown since he hadn’t seen a picture of Austin in three years and he wasn’t on social media.
“I got to hear his voice. I got to see him in his element, and I got to see that he was alright, and that was important,” said Owen. “I don’t know if he ever saw me, I just don’t know… Hopefully, we’ll get to talk soon.”
His post and talking about their kids publicly likely enraged Duke, who shared her own Instagram post noting her displeasure. She stated that “all kids want their parents to be happy” and then accused Owen of only sharing “half the story for sympathy.”
“If you wanted healing you would have reached out to a family therapist, call, text, or send this video directly to them,” she wrote.
She continued further in the caption writing, “You don’t seem to have any empathy for their feelings. You have done some foul things, but I still greet you with a smile.”
Duke revealed that she tends to “focus” on the kids, “so we don’t resort to blame and finger pointing.”
“I remind them of your birthday and Father’s Day. I encourage them to give you a 2nd chance,” she continued. “I share info with you about them because I would hope that, if the tables were turned you’d do the same.”
The 47-year-old went on to say Owen failed to mention why his relationship with his children was fractured in the video.
“And then you come to the internet with a video of the result but not the reason. I just don’t understand, how this helped anything. At this point, I don’t know what to believe or how to deal with you.”
According to Duke, the “Think Like a Man” actor had an affair and allegedly paid prostitutes for sex, leading her to file for divorce. Duke also accused Owen of being a deadbeat dad and taking vacations with a nurse named Brianna Johnson.
“Does Brianna know I am still paying your bills? How does an old dude, choose a chick that doesn’t care about his relationship with his kids and she got kids?” Duke previously wrote in a since-deleted post.
Reports of Johnson having twins with the former “ComicView” star circulated after they shared a picture on social media with a note that said, “Owen twins take the field in July 2023.” However, Owen has yet to confirm if he’s had more children with Johnson.
Fans of The Jasmine Brand spoke out after Duke’s clapback on Instagram, and they were surprised by Owen spilling the tea about his family situation. One fan replied, “You would’ve had to pry this information outta me. Ain’t no damn way I’m admitting to not speaking to my kids for 3 years.”
Another fan thought Duke shouldn’t have spoken out. “Those kids are grown. And we’re grown 3 years ago. It is not their mom’s responsibility to mend the relationship that they have with their father. It is his responsibility.”
“Divorces are HARD. Very complex and processing things takes time for all parties,” added another fan. “Nobody knows the ‘best’ way to deal with them. They all need family counseling. Life will go on.”
After the divorce, Duke relaunched “The Truly Kenya Podcast” and pursued other professional endeavors. She said she hit a “financial bottom” after separating from Owen and had to find a “new normal” and new friends to embrace her “new life” as a single woman.
It’s unclear if Duke is dating at the moment, meanwhile Owen may have allegedly welcomed a set of twins this summer.
