Years after the world fell in love with comedian Gary Owen and his family through the BET reality show “The Gary Owen Show,” the Ohio native divorced his wife, Kenya Duke, in 2021. He later admitted that the end of their marriage was due to his infidelity.
As a result, his three children with Duke — Emilio Owen, 33 (Kenya’s son from a previous relationship, whom Gary adopted), Austin Owen, 23, and Kennedy Owen, 21 — stopped speaking to him.
The “Think Like a Man” actor has been open about the personal pain caused by the estrangement, acknowledging his role in why his adult children chose to distance themselves for so long. During an appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay,” he shared that he believed the messiness of the divorce led them to shut down.
However, according to a recent post, it seems at least one of them is starting to reconnect.
On Monday, Oct. 14, Gary posted a video of Austin hanging out with his two little brothers, the twins he had with his fiancée, Brianna Johnson, whom he allegedly had an affair with during his marriage.
The clip shows the boys playfully roughhousing with their big brother while Owen proudly watches and facilitates the fun.
The “Comic View” staple wrote in his caption, “A day I’ve been dreaming about. My son @aust1n0wen got to meet his twin brothers.”
In the past, the 49-year-old expressed how upset he was over the fact that all his children never met each other.
Owen told Sharpe during their sit-down in May, “My [older] kids, they don’t know them. They don’t have a relationship with them.”
Gary Owen says he hasn't seen his kids for 3.5 years since the divorce.
— Episodes (@episodesent) May 8, 2024
pic.twitter.com/ja7TVFEQPe
He said he didn’t want his older kids to meet for the first time when the twins, Royal and Rome, were 4 or 5 years old.
The public has been heavily invested in the drama as it played out on social media over the years, celebrating this heartwarming reunion between father and son after over three and a half years of silence.
Many were particularly moved by how warmly Austin interacted with his baby brothers.
One person commented, “I know you cried with happiness,” while another celebrated, “Gary is beaming. I hope all his kids come around and heal their relationship w[ith] him.
Others were thrilled to witness the love between the brothers.
“Looks like they already adore their big bro,” one person noted. Someone else added, “And manhandled them like a true big brother,” while another said, “They instantly took to him! They know that’s their big brotha!”
Throughout the hundreds of comments, fans and colleagues alike were moved to tears, with some posting sentiments like, “Kids should always be close no matter what the parents are doing.”
Not all comments focused solely on the brothers’ meeting; many emphasized the healing of Gary and Austin’s bond.
“I’m glad that the relationship is mending,” one person commented before quipping, “Dang, bro, your genes are strong!!!”
Several people brought up Kennedy, with one saying, “I CAN’T WAIT TILL THE TWINS EXPERIENCE THE LOVE BIG SIS HAS TO OFFER! THIS IS THE PERFECT TIME! I KNOW THEY WILL MELT HER HEART! THEY WILL BE A PERFECT PIECE TO HER MISSING PUZZLE!”
One fan captured the general sentiment, writing, “This warms my [heart emoji]. The power of growth and forgiveness.”
On “Club Shay Shay,” Owen described the emotional toll of being apart from his older children and wanting to reconcile, saying, “It’s a nightmare. It’s like they’re my greatest accomplishments and my greatest failure at the same time.”
The “Ride Along” actor can indeed be proud of his kids, as they have thrived despite the public breakup and the trauma of divorce.
Kennedy graduated summa cum laude from college and is now gearing up for graduate school. Gary attended her graduation last December but was told not to “approach her” in a text sent before the ceremony began.
On his show “Get Some with Gary Owen,” he explained that he texted her to say congratulations from afar after hiring a photographer to take photos of her on her big day.
“I sent her a couple shots and I just said, ‘I’m so proud of you’ and … her response to me was, ‘I’m blocking you,’” he stated, adding that his daughter scolded him for “not respecting her boundaries.”
He also shared that Austin works with children, who “love him,” while Emilio has settled down in Ohio with his girlfriend and is working as well.
Though Gary and Austin have started to rebuild their relationship, the details of how they got to this point remain unclear. It’s also uncertain what will be required for Kennedy and Emilio to reconnect with their younger siblings — or allow their father back into their lives.
