Chance the Rapper and Wife Kirsten Corley Announce Divorce

Chance, the Rapper, and his wife, Kirsten Corley, have decided to divorce after five years of marriage. The news of their split was shared in a joint statement posted on their Instagram Stories.

“After a period of separation, the two of us have arrived at the decision to part ways,” the statement read. “We came to this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together.”

The couple, who share two daughters, 8-year-old Kensli and four-year-old Marli Grace, expressed their intention to co-parent their children. “We kindly ask for privacy and respect as we navigate this transition,” the statement concluded.

Chance the Rapper and Kirsten Corley announce that “after a period of separation, the two of us have arrived at the decision to part ways.” pic.twitter.com/t4uJd7mhOn

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) April 3, 2024

Some people are speculating that their marriage hasn’t been the same since the rapper faced backlash following the viral video showing him dancing with a woman, who was not his wife while partying during Carnival in Jamaica.

After maintaining silence for some days, Chance seemingly responded by posting a clip from Bill Burr’s 2019 Netflix stand-up special “Paper Tiger.” In the clip, Burr addresses the constant scrutiny he faces in his relationship with his wife, emphasizing his love for her despite it all.

Corley, on the other hand, addressed the controversy in a more reflective manner. She shared a passage from Maya Angelou’s “Letter to My Daughter,” where the poet discusses the concept of maturity.

“Most people don’t grow up. It’s too damn difficult. What happens is most people get older. That’s the truth of it,” Angelou writes. “They honor their credit cards, they find parking spaces, they have the nerve to have children, but they don’t grow up. Not really. They get older.”

She continues, “But to grow up costs the earth, the earth. It means you take responsibility for the time you take up, for the space you occupy. It’s serious business. And you find out what it costs us to love and to lose, to dare and to fail. And maybe even more, to succeed.”

In her caption, Corley added, “I hope one day, we all choose to grow up.”

Chance and Corley tied the knot in March 2019, with reports showing they exchanged vows during a Newport Beach, California ceremony. However, according to a marriage certificate, the couple legally married in a civil ceremony in Chicago on Dec. 27, 2018.

Their relationship dates back to their childhood, with Chance recalling how they first met in 2003 at his mother’s office party when he was nine. The rapper fondly remembered locking eyes with Corley during a performance by Destiny’s Child, describing her as the “prettiest girl” he had ever seen.

Despite facing challenges in their relationship, including a brief split in 2016, Chance and Corley remained committed to each other. Their marriage has been a significant aspect of Chance’s music career, with themes of love and family often woven into his art. Their wedding inspired his 2019 album “The Big Day,” which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.