Kirsten Corley Bennett, the wife of Grammy-winning artist Chance the Rapper, has filed for divorce just weeks shy of their sixth wedding anniversary. It comes after months of speculation and marks the end of more than a decade-long relationship.
Chance the Rapper, whose full name is Chancelor Bennett, and Kirsten first met as children at an office party in 2003, but it wasn’t until their re-connection at the South by Southwest festival in 2012 that their romance took center stage. The couple married in a surprise ceremony in March after being engaged since July of 2018, welcoming their first daughter, Kensli, in 2015. This is as the highly ups-and-down-filled love was now flourishing when they did their civil way back in December 2018. Three months down the line, the couple held it big in style at Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Beach, California. Present during this star-studded occasion were Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, among other stars like Dave Chappelle. Later that same year, they added a second daughter to their family, Marli Grace.
Theirs was repeatedly referred to as a fairy-tale relationship, yet there was much more beneath the surface-evidenced by real struggles which then played out so publicly. In April this year, Chance found himself at the centre of attention after a video surfaced, showing him dancing suggestively with another woman at the Carnival in Jamaica. Even as representatives insisted that the two were “all good,” Kirsten’s social media was a totally different story. She took to posting an excerpt by Maya Angelou from the essay “Home” that dealt with maturity and responsibility on growing up; she wrote, “I hope one day we all choose to grow up.”
Tensions in their relationship had become more apparent by April 2024, when the two announced their separation.
In a statement shared on Chance’s Instagram Stories, they jointly labeled the decision amicable, with a commitment to co-parenting. “God has blessed us with two beautiful daughters that we will continue to raise together,” they wrote. Meanwhile, in October 2024, the separated couple was spotted out and about with their daughters to meet gymnast Simone Biles, showing they keep family ties strong.
On December 13th, 2024 – two weeks shy of what would have been a sixth wedding anniversary – Kirsten filed legal documents in the county of Cook, an act marking a legal end to Chance and Kirsten’s union until now. Neither Chance or Kirsten have spoken against the situation, but others close to the family make it known that the two pledge to go out of their ways to create a seamless co-parenting situation for the kids involved: Kensli, 9-year-old, and Marlie, 5-year-old respectively.
The news has sparked a frenzy in the media and among fans, some of whom have taken to social media to express their sadness at the breakup of the marriage that partly inspired Chance’s first album, “The Big Day.” The 2019 album celebrated their love story and featured collaborations with artists such as John Legend and Megan Thee Stallion. But the split has raised questions about the pressures of living a private life in the public eye. Apart from these differences, Chance and Kirsten have made it time and again very clear that their priority remains bringing up the daughters together. Many have praised this joint appearance and the front that is shown in all cosleeping processes of this family. If the divorce announces the end of this romantic journey, then it is sure the beginning of a family’s new life.
