Kenya Duke
Kenya Duke is known as the Ex-wife of an American comedian Gary Owen. Her Ex-husband was entitled as the Funniest Serviceman in America.
Kenya rose to prominence after tying the knot with her ex-husband, despite her lack of involvement in the entertainment world. Unfortunately, this lovely couple parted ways nearly after two decades of marriage. But why did this beautiful couple decide to part ways?
In this article, we shall find answers to the questions about her personal life, Marriage, and many more.
Early Life: Duke’s Father Passed Away When She Was 6 Years old
Duke was born on July 26, 1974, in Oakland, California. Her zodiac sign is Leo and she holds American nationality. She finished her education at a local school in Oakland.
Duke's single mother, Barbara Jean Cooper raised her daughter in Oakland. Her father Roland Smith Watts was a navy officer who passed away during his service when Kenya was only 6 years old.
Kenya also states that her mother and father had a tough relationship. Kenya doesn't know much about her father because her mother doesn't talk much about her late spouse.
Physical Appearance
Kenya has a highly attractive physical appearance that draws a large number of fans and followers. Her face is almost symmetrical, and she appears tall and fit.
Her dark skin goes well with her black hair. She also has a strong jawline and stunning black eyes. She is roughly 5 feet 5 inches tall.
Kenya’s journey in Entertainment Industry
Before marrying her ex-husband Gary, Kenya was not very involved in the entertainment world. But after their nuptials, she was exposed more to television and media. Nevertheless, she prefers to work behind the scenes rather than in front of the camera.
She mostly worked as an additional crew and producer in different movies. She has appeared in many other Television Programs like The Steve Harvey, The Gary Owen Show, Aries Spears: Hollywood, Look I’m Smiling, and many more.
Living Life as a Successful Businesswoman
She began her professional career as an accountant, but after marrying Gary, she resigned from her work to assist her husband with his business. Currently, Kenya is the creator and owner of Premier Sports and Corporate Travels.
On March 20, 2009, she and her business partner Deshonne Jackson started their company. It's a domestic limited liability company that sells high-quality sporting equipment. She has been running her company successfully for over a decade.
Current Relationship Status
She has been taking a break and enjoying her single life since her divorce from her ex-husband, Gary Owen. After her divorce, she has not mentioned anyone as her lover
Going through her Instagram, We can see that she is having an amazing time with herself.
Her marriage to the famous comedian Gary Owen
Kenya Duke married Gary Owen, her ex-husband, on July 19, 2003. The former couple had a small wedding in front of their friends and families. For the wedding, Kenya donned wore a gorgeous white gown and carried a white, while Gary wore a blue suit.
The wedding, on the other hand, was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all of them. The preacher fled since both the bride and groom were late for their weddings. Moreover, the baker also wrecked their five-tiered cake, so they were only able to cut only a little amount of cake.
How was their first meeting?
Gary and Kenya met for the first time in the 1990s. Gary was only starting as a comic at the time. They came into contact because of the NBA legend Shaquille O’Neil as around the time, Kenya was working for his clothing line. So one day, Shaq took his staff to a nightclub in Sunset Boulevard, La, where interestingly Gary was performing a stand-up. The first time they met, they didn't communicate with each other.
It was only in their second meeting that the pair talked to each other. The pair met in the same place and this time, Kenya approached Gary but it was just to tell him that his performance today wasn’t on par with the other show she had seen.
Regardless, Gary didn’t pay any heed to Kenya’s comment and instead asked for her number. After that, they had good communication, and sometimes later, their friendship blossomed into a romance.
How many kids does Kenya share with Ex-hubby Gary?
Kenya is the mother of three beautiful children named Emilio Owen Jr, Austin Owen, and Kennedy Owen.
Her oldest son, Emilio was born on 18th January 1991. Duke shares Emilio with her previous husband. He was later adopted by her second husband Gary.
Kenya has two kids with her second hubby. Her second child, Austin was born on 27th November 2000 and, her youngest child, her only daughter Kennedy was born on July 3rd, 2002. She is currently studying at Agriculture and Technical State University.
Divorced after almost two decades of marriage: Their harsh separation
After nearly 18 years of marriage, this couple decided to part ways. Many fans who admired and cherished this couple, were devastated by the news.
As for the reason behind their separation, well, it looks like a third-party involvement led to their divorce. According to an Instagram story by Kenya, Gary had been cheating on her with a mistress.
She also mentioned that they had been traveling together in Florida and the Bahamas. She also states that her Ex-husband had been spending his earnings on vacation with his secret affair rather than contributing to the family.
On the other hand, Kenya did not hesitate to reveal the identity of the girl, Gary had been dating. Her name is Brianna Johnson. She works as a nurse at Memorial Hermann Health in Texas. Kenya expressed her disappointment in Brianna being a mother herself and trying to ruin else’s family.
Kenya Duke and Gary Owen’ divorce settlement
Duke filed for divorce in the Los Angeles County Superior Court in California and the news about their divorce broke out on the 19th of March. She was granted custody of her children.
Following this incident, Duke asked for $44,000 per month according to the legal filings acquired by TMZ. Duke also claimed that her ex-husband has a considerable amount of wealth.
In the same legal docs obtained by TMZ, Duke stated that the amount she had requested is the same amount he would send into her bank accounts to cover credit card bills and other personal costs.
Who is Kenya Duke’s first husband?
Kenya has been very private about her first marital relationship. Thankfully, we found out that her first husband’s name is Emilio Toliver Sr.
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Duke does not like to speak much about him and hasn’t mentioned it in any of her social media posts.
Kenya Duke On Social Media
Kenya appears to be quite active on social media. Her social media presence has a high level of interaction. She is largely active on Instagram, where she has roughly 76.2K followers.
She utilizes her Instagram account to promote a variety of companies. Duke goes by the username @trulykenya on Instagram.
Net Worth
If we agree with online tabloids, it is estimated that Kenya has amassed about $4 million. It contains all of her assets.
Throughout her career, Duke has amassed a significant amount of riches. Because of her hard work and dedication to work, she has been able to acquire such a large sum of money.
Her business is her primary source of revenue, but she also makes a lot of money on the side by participating in numerous television movies, series, and programs. Moreover, she also got a substantial amount of money through her divorce settlement with Gary.