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Home · Love & Sex

Lena Waithe And Wife Alana Mayo Have Called It Quits

The couple released a joint statement announcing their separation and respectfully asking for privacy as they sort things out.
Lena Waithe And Wife Alana Mayo Split Months After Their Secret Wedding
By Jasmine Grant · Updated December 6, 2020

Just months after tying the knot, Lena Waithe and her wife Alana Mayo are going their separate ways.

The announcement came by way of a joint statement to E! News. “After careful thought and consideration, we have decided to part ways,” it reads. “We have nothing but support for one another and ask that you respect our privacy during this time.”

The split comes as a shock, as the Queen & Slim writer recently gushed about marrying her longtime love at a spontaneous courthouse wedding in San Francisco. “We snuck and did it,” the Emmy winner revealed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to guest host John Legend. “You know, we didn’t make any announcements.

Article continues after video.

“[It was] her idea, as all good things are,” she continued. “And she was just driving and she saw the courthouse and she said, ‘We should get married there.’ And I said, ‘Cool, I’m down.'”

Speaking to the historical significance of getting married in front of Harvey Milk’s statue, Waithe was especially moved. “It was a humbling day to marry someone so amazing but to also appreciate all the work that so many people have put in for us to be able to do that.”

Lena Waithe And Wife Alana Mayo Split Months After Their Secret Wedding
Lena Waithe, left, and her girlfriend, Alana Mayo attending the 2018 MTV Movie and TV Awards held at the Barker Hangar in Los Angeles, USA. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday June 16, 2018. Photo credit should read: Francis Specker/PA Wire (Photo by Francis Specker/PA Images via Getty Images)

Waithe and Mayo dated for three years before becoming engaged Thanksgiving day 2017. During a guest slot on The Dave Chang Show, Waithe praised Mayo for keeping her humble in the midst of increasing fame and success. “The great thing is, she’s not jazzed by it,” Waithe said. “She definitely helps to keep me grounded …When I get home from winning an Emmy, she’s like, ‘Don’t forget to take out the recycling.’ It’s those things that I think are really helpful. She’s so laid back about it all.”

No information is known about why Waithe and Mayo have decided to call it quits, but we’re wishing them both the best as they move forward on their individual paths.

TOPICS:  Alana Mayo black film breakup celebrity Entertainment Essence News film & tv Lena Waithe Melina Matsoukas Queen & Slim separation video videos
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