
The idea of living with your spouse, and your former spouse, sounds quite absurd to people, but itโs something that works for actor Michael Beach and his wife Elisha.
If you were a fan of the OWN series Black Love, you probably saw them featured in an episode from around 2019 where the couple, married 17 years and together 24 with four children, opened up about their unconventional living situation. His ex-wife, Tracey, whom he shares four children with and wed in 1990 (divorcing in the โ00s), does indeed stay with the pair.
During a recent visit to Sway in the Morning (around the 22:00 mark), he went a bit more in-depth about how Elisha changed his mind about marriage, which helped him let go of any hard feelings he harbored about how things ended with Tracey.
โI was married 17 years before and had the four kidsโฆand it didnโt work out. And because I had the four kids, I was like, why do I have to do that again? Iโm done,โ he recalled in September. โAnd it wasnโt a horrible marriage. In fact, on Black Love, I talk about the fact that my ex-wife lives with my wife and I and our kids. In the same house.โ
This information ended up being news to Sway Calloway and co-host Heather B. They wanted to understand how an arrangement of such magnitude could work.
โThe circumstances is a long story. It is a rare situation where sheโs lived with us now for seven, eight years. Sheโs literally just a part of our family,โ he said. โElisha and I have four young kids as well. My ex-wifeโs name is Tracey โ they just know her as Tracey. They know we used to be married because our older children, who are in their 30s, come over all the time. They know that Tracey is their mom and Iโm their dad, theyโre brothers and sisters, but their mom is different. Itโs just become this blended family thatโs awkward from the outside, but it actually works perfectly.โ
Another major reason it works, he shared, is because Elisha was so open-minded about it and found herself benefitting most from the living situation.
โHaving your wife embrace the fact that your ex-wife is living with youโฆFunny thing, theyโre together more than we are together because I take a job and go out of town,โ he said.
โElisha and Tracey got closer and Tracey was very helpful with our kids. Taking them to school and helping with the dinners and stuff like that, it just worked out.โ
In the original Black Love episode, Michael said of the wild arrangement, โIt runs so smoothly itโs crazy,โ with a laugh. Elisha agreed. Traceyโs presence made all of the difference when she gave birth a few years back, and two months after doing so, Michael traveled for a period of months for roles.
โIf Tracey hadnโt been here, I would have died or killed one of my kids. I donโt know, whichever one came first,โ she said jokingly at the time. โThere was no way I would have made it through that time without her help.โ
Nevertheless, having oneโs ex-wife live with you and your current wife comes with criticism and confusion. Some, Michael shared, believe theyโre in a polyamorous relationship. However, he shut down such an idea with the radio hosts. While heโs moved on emotionally from Tracey, sheโs become an integral part of their lives.
โThereโs nothing further from the truth. Tracey is a part of my life and a part of my family,โ he said. โShe was 21, and I think I was 22 when we met. I just canโt cut her off. Itโs just not going to happen. Obviously, she doesnโt have to live with us, but it just worked out that way, and itโs comfortable for us.โ