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Claim: Several media outlets and social media accounts claimed Tomeka Thiam, the wife of Akon, the music star, filed for a divorce and requested $100 million in spousal support from him.
Verdict: False! Tomeka told DUBAWA that she and Akon are not divorced; as such, she never requested any amount as spousal support. She also stated that the narrative was entirely fabricated and urged the public to disregard it.
Full Text
Gendered disinformation has always been a part of human history, but has gradually evolved. The rate at which false information targeting women is increasing is alarming.
A United Nations report noted that gendered disinformation poses a threat to the safety and health of women and other gender nonconforming persons, and exposes them to a possible form of online gender-based violence.
Recently, reports surfaced in the media and on social media that record executive Tomeka Thiam, also the wife of popular musician Aliaune Thiam (Akon), had filed for divorce ahead of the couple’s 29th wedding anniversary.
TMZ reported the news on Sept. 12, 2025, claiming it had obtained court documents showing that Tomeka had recently filed for divorce. According to the report, Tomeka had cited “the usual irreconcilable differences” as the basis for the divorce.
The report also stated that Tomeka had requested spousal support and sought to prevent the court from awarding any spousal support to Akon.
This was also published in People, which claimed to have obtained the court papers, while other media outlets that published the report cited either platform.
Weeks later, news circulated on social media that Tomeka had filed for a €100 million divorce settlement as compensation for her role in building the musician’s extensive business empire, spanning the music industry, real estate investments, and the Akon Lighting Africa initiative.
While some users used the dollar ($) symbol, others claimed the amount was in euros. The claimants added that when the court checked Akon’s bank account, only $10,000 was found there while the bulk of his wealth was registered in his mother’s name. Apart from Facebook and Instagram users who shared the report, it was also shared on TikTok and X.
Some other websites also published the report here, here, and here.
Consequently, many users resorted to name-calling, adding that they are glad Tomeka could not get any money. At the same time, some praised Akon for following the footsteps of Moroccan footballer Achraf Hakimi. Recall in 2023, Hakimi was said to have also saved his wealth in his mother’s name to prevent his ex-wife, Hiba Abouk, from acquiring a portion of the property after the divorce.
DUBAWA’s fact-check found the report misleading, as there was no evidence to support the claim. Moreover, the account that first reported the story was a parody account.
The same pattern in that trend of disinformation has come to the fore in Akon’s case, raising suspicion about the validity of the claim. To set the record straight, DUBAWA investigated the claim.
Verification
A Google search for the alleged divorce turned up reports in both Nigerian and international outlets, most citing TMZ or People. The reports were dated Sept. 12, 2025, and later dates. DUBAWA could not find any report as the court papers were reportedly sighted on Sept. 11, 2025.
Meanwhile, DUBAWA observed that the news reports did not indicate any amount as spousal support requested by Tomeka. Also, neither TMZ nor People attached the court papers they claimed to have accessed or got comments from either party. TMZ noted that it had sought feedback from Akon but had not yet received it as of publication time, while People did not indicate whether any such effort was made.
DUBAWA noticed that Tomeka, an entrepreneur and record executive, had responded to the report via her Instagram story, stating that the reports circulating online about her were false. We reached out to Tomeka via her Instagram DM, and she explained that she never requested spousal support of this amount. She added that the courts are not currently handling any divorce cases. She also stated that she is still married to Akon, and the family is trying to work through their issues internally.
She further said her legal team is currently working on the issue and expressed her displeasure with media outlets that ran with the story without any verification.
“No case has been dealt with nor settled—no money amount discussed. No court dates at all. Nothing happened as of yet. The story is 100% false, and even the face behind my name is NOT even me in 98% of these articles. I’m not sure why all of this is happening, but I’m private, always been, and even though I’m getting attacked by men due to these false stories, I’m silencing myself and letting my legal team deal with it,” she said.
Conclusion
Viral reports claiming Akon and his wife have parted ways and that the latter requested $100 million spousal support from the musician are misleading..
