All Articles Tagged "usher raymond"

Tameka Raymond Remembers Late Son, Launches ‘Kile’s World Foundation’

April 1st, 2013 - By Jazmine Denise Rogers
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Source: ATLPics.net/Prince Williams

Source: ATLPics.net/Prince Williams

Last summer, Usher Raymond’s ex-wife Tameka suffered an awful tragedy. Her 11-year-old son Kile (from a previous relationship) was gravely injured after he was stricken by a watercraft while he was inner-tubing in a lake. When Kile was pulled out of the water, he was unresponsive. He was eventually declared braid dead. A couple of weeks following the accident, Kile was taken off of life support. Although Tameka suffered such a horrific nightmare, she decided that her little boy’s passing would not be in vain. The day of Kile’s funeral Tameka announced via her Twitter page the launching of the Kile Glover Fund, through which she hoped to promote awareness about watercraft safety, but she hasn’t stopped there.

Over the weekend, in honor of Kile’s 12th birthday, which would’ve fallen on Good Friday, Tameka celebrated the launch of the “Kile’s World” foundation at the Woodruff Arts Center, reports the YBF. Tameka expressed that the foundation would  ”offer art- based camps with multiple workshops including general instruction in the areas of acting, singing, dance, painting, illustration, music production and digital media.” She also shared that the foundation would eventually open a school that would most likely focus on music and the arts.

Joining Tameka in the celebration of her late son’s life, were her four sons, Bow Wow’s mom Teresa Caldwell, Big Rich Atlanta stars Brie Rowe and Sharlinda Parker, among others. The colorfully decorated event seemed to be reflective of Kile’s creative personality.

Tameka is undeniably strong. It hasn’t even been a full year since her son’s passing, yet she is still using her tragedy to help others. Just two months ago, she took to her Twitter page to express irony of Kile’s birthday falling on Good Friday.

Screen shot 2013-04-01 at 9.24.59 AM

In other Kile Glover news, early last month we told you that the man who was operating the watercraft that tragically ended Kile’s life, Jeffery Simon Hubbard was arrested and charged with Homicide by Vessel, Serious Injury by Vessel and Reckless Operation of a Vessel. Since his indictment Hubbard has entered not guilty pleas on all charges, reports the Huffington Post. We’ll continue to keep you posted as this story develops.

Turn the page for more photos from the Kile’s World celebration.

Sounds Fishy: Judge Who Ruled In Usher’s Custody Hearing Is Being Investigated For Bias In Another Case

February 14th, 2013 - By Jazmine Denise Rogers
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Source: gospelconnoisseur.com

Source: gospelconnoisseur.com

The credibility and fairness of Fulton County Superior Court Judge, Bensonetta Tipton Lane became somewhat questionable last year when she granted R&B crooner, Usher Raymond custody of his two sons as opposed to their mother, Tameka Foster. Foster’s attorney, Lisa West revealed that when she learned that the judge had failed to disclose Raymond’s attorney, John Mayoue had prior dealings with her, she motioned that the judge order a new trial due to the clear conflict of interest. According to reports Mayoue had assisted her in her 2008 campaign, raising 83 percent of donations.  CBS Atlanta is reporting that this isn’t the only case where the judge’s ethics are being questioned.

“I see no reason why she shouldn’t have been forthcoming with that information,” said Georgia State University College of Law professor, Clark Cunningham of Lane’s failure to disclose.

Robin Fisher also revealed that the manner in which many decisions in her 2008 divorce were handled left her questioning whether or not the judge was bias in her rulings. She expressed that Lane didn’t allow any evidence that would’ve been harmful to her husband’s case in addition to other questionable rulings, which included prohibiting her from speaking about her divorce two years after it ended.

“I couldn’t get justice. She took away my First Amendment right. My freedom of speech,” Fisher said.

Fisher’s ex-husband was represented by John Mayoue as well. She expressed that just when she was about to give up fighting in court, she learned that CBS Atlanta had been investigating the exact same judge for allegations of bias.

“It was a light bulb went off. It didn’t have anything to do with her hating my attorney. It had nothing to do with her hating me. It had to do with her connection to John Mayoue,” Robin said.

When CBS Atlanta asked the judge whether or not she always ruled in favor of John Mayoue, she responded:

“Only when he’s right.”

Gracie Ortiz Terrett also believes thats Judge Lane ruled unfairly when it came to her divorce case due to the fact that her ex-husband used to work at the Fulton County Superior Court. She expressed that Lane greatly diminished the time in which she is allowed to spend with her children for no actual reason, as there were never accusations of abuse or neglect.

“Children are affected by the decisions [Lane] makes. And if she’s going to make decisions based on relationships, financials, based on campaigns, then she doesn’t belong there,” she said.

Look’s like Tameka and her attorney may not have been crying wolf after all.

Check out footage of the full report on the next page. What do you think of this?

Allow Me To Make One Thing Clear: Tameka Foster Says Usher Did Not Evict Her

November 19th, 2012 - By Jazmine Denise Rogers
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Source: WENN

Tameka Foster thinks you’re off your rocker if you believe Usher evicted her from the $3.2 million dollar Atlanta mansion that the two once shared. Okay, she didn’t say those words exactly, but that appears to be what the superstar stylist meant when she took to her Twitter page to publicly deny rumors that Usher was evicting her.

“People write without using COMMON sense. Evicted really? This s**t gets boring & sickening 2 read or hear.. Family callin’, just dumb as hell.”

There have been whispers for months surrounding the fate of the Raymonds’ former love nest once the two had officially divorced, but those whispers grew louder as TMZ stirred the pot when they reported that Usher listed Tameka’s current home for sale for $3.2 million dollars. The home is said to include 6 bedrooms, 7 baths, 10-foot ceilings, massive pool, in-home gym, 4 fireplaces, and a library.”

Foster seems to be totally disgusted with the gullibility of the public and she had a few disgruntled words for the press as well.

“What an utter waste of such a blessed skill. Bastardization of education. Write laws, grants, text or childrens books. Not LIES & innuendo.”

While the fact that Usher has reportedly put the home that she currently resides in up for sale does make the rumors appear to be true, possibly the two have worked something out where Tameka may have decided to voluntarily leave. But then again, I don’t know many people who admit to being evicted by their ex-husband after a very public and bitter divorce either.

Whether the rumors are true or not, Tameka seems to be a big girl who has no problem taking care of herself and her children so she will probably be fine either way.

We hope that things works out for her and considering all that she has gone through in the last year and that brighter, drama-free days are ahead.

What do you think of Tameka’s response?

Jazmine Denise is a writer living in New York. Follow her on Twitter @jazminedenise

 

Get To Steppin’: Usher Evicts Tameka And Puts Their Mansion Up For Sale

November 13th, 2012 - By madamenoire
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Usher's home

From TMZ

Usher is finally making good on his threats to evict ex-wife Tameka Raymond from the house she still calls home … officially listing his Georgia mansion for a cool $3.2 million.

Usher bought the 12,544 square-foot pad in 2007 — while still married to Tameka — for $3 million. He officially listed the digs last week.

Read more at TMZ

Let’s Close This Book: Why Tameka Raymond Does Not Need Her OWN Next Chapter Special

September 17th, 2012 - By Alissa Henry
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"Usher and Oprah"

Source: freddyo.com

Oprah’s interviews have been making headlines for years and her latest interview with Usher was no different. In fact, though it is ironically named “Next Chapter”, this chapter of Oprah’s life is reading a lot like the last one where celebrities sat down with the Queen of Talk to Tell. It. All.

In the latest interview that had “Usher” “Oprah” and “NextChapter” all trending on Twitter, the singer opened up about his brief romance with his ex-wife Tameka Raymond and their famous custody battle. He talked about his professional break with his mother and about his hurt when “nobody responded to [my marriage] the way I’d like them to respond”.

He even admitted to not being “faithful all the way” thus confirming rumors that he did, in fact, do the unthinkable by sleeping with one (or more!) of Tameka’s bridesmaids while he was still married. Unfortunately, this tidbit of information was only shocking to those who actually believed the ladies man would leave his “Confessions” days behind after getting hitched. I’m guessing he tried for five minutes but couldn’t resist doing the nasty with other women – likely with his own music providing the soundtrack.

The interview was the typical celebrity sit-down that networks, talk show hosts and journalists secure in order to bring ratings. And, not surprisingly, the interview was the talk of social media last night. What was surprising was the amount of people suggesting Oprah should now sit down with Tameka Raymond.

Yes, people are actually saying that.

Arguing that Tameka should be “allowed to tell her side”, some believe she’s got next on Oprah’s traveling couch. Why? Because apparently people think Oprah is in business to make sure couples get equal airtime when talking about their split. They say it makes her look “biased” to only talk to Usher as if her line of work is not clearly biased toward celebrities. She talked to the most relevant person in the relationship, so to sit down with Tameka now would just make her look petty.

In addition, we’ve heard Tameka’s side. We’ve heard it over and over and over again. And after this Usher/Oprah interview, there’s no doubt we’ll hear her side once again. It’s all reactive and ultimately redundant. Usher’s divorce made headlines not because of who he was married to but because he’s Usher.

Oprah’s job isn’t to seek out some kind of truth or to determine what really happened. She talks to celebrities about their lives from their perspective and she did that with Usher, just like with Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, Kelsey Grammar, and countless others. Where was Katie Holmes when Tom Cruise jumped on Oprah’s couch in 2005? It doesn’t matter because Tom was the story.

Was Usher wrong for stepping out on his marriage? Absolutely. But people trying to shame Oprah into letting Tameka bring down her ratings for a show few in her demographic will bother to watch is silly.

At this point, Usher and Tameka have been divorced longer than they were even married and it’s time to just move on. We suspected that he cheated and he confirmed it. We know Usher is a terrible boyfriend/husband and we knew that before they walked the aisle. Do we need Tameka crying on the couch? And, if so, why stop there? How about bringing the entire cast of I-Married-Someone-Famous on to the show so we can hear what they have to say? “Next Chapter” could be a whole a circus!

Tameka has gained sufficient fame from being married to Usher and she isn’t done maximizing on that. Still, that doesn’t mean that Oprah is somehow obligated to interview her. Yes, there are three sides to every story (his, hers, and the truth), but when it comes to the type of shows Oprah and her ilk are about, there’s only one side that brings the viewers: the celebrity’s. And when the headlines promoting an interview would have to read “Oprah sits down with so-and-so’s ex-wife”, it just doesn’t make sense to do it.

Tameka probably isn’t holding her breath for an invite anyway. Considering that she reportedly pitched a reality show to OWN recently and was denied, she clearly isn’t Oprah’s biggest fan. In fact, yesterday, when “@Akacharleswade” tweeted the ridiculous:

Oprah is using the Blacks for ratings. When OWN launched, it was… “different”. Now mama wanna come “home”. Chile.”

Tameka responded “Yep”.

Well, when Oprah hears about all this “Next Chapter should feature Tameka Raymond next” nonsense, she’ll likely respond: “Nope”.

What do you think? Am I totally off base here? Should Oprah interview Tameka Raymond? Why or why not?

Follow Alissa on Twitter @AlissaInPink

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Cute Kid Alert: Celeb Kids Get Fashion Week Fab, Willow & Jada WORK, And Usher And Girlfriend Take Family Pics (Too Soon?)

September 11th, 2012 - By Clarke Gail Baines
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So we’re back with another installment of “Cute Kid Alert,” and to start things off on an interesting foot, check out doting dad Usher and his sons Naviyd and Usher Raymond V! The singer snapped a picture while hanging out with his girlfriend, Grace Miguel (lower left) and one of her sons. The pictures were posted on Twitter, and this is just one of many. But interesting enough, this particular photo was tagged as a “Favorite” by Tameka Raymond on Twitter after a follower saw it and said, “@TamekaRaymond is gonna flip the ef out with this!! Was it a little too soon for Usher to post happy-go-lucky pics of his prospective blended family? Maybe, maybe not. But they do look happy!

Source: theybf.com

Source: theybf.com

Above is another photo of the couple and Miguel’s sons getting cozy while out dining. Good for him!

Source: laurittebe.tumblr.com

Speaking of big families (or just average sized actually), Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, along with Willow and Jaden, attended the Toronto International Film Festival dressed to the nines. Jada looked stunning as usual in a backless gown and tall, strappy stilettos, while Willow wore a leopard dress, some embellished boots, a bolero and a gold collar. Somebody’s hair is growing back fast (sans the bright colors this time around). And the guys looked great in their black ensembles as well: Will in his suit, Jaden with his signature confused camera face…

Source: Bossip

They might not be married anymore, but I’m a big fan of how friendly Kimora Lee Simmons and Russell Simmons are for the sake of their kids. They go everywhere together! Speaking of which, the two fashion titans stepped out for New York Fashion Week with Ming and Aoki for the Charlotte Ronson show. With her stunner shades on and blinged out jacket, Aoki was clearly on full diva mode, while her sister, Ming, opted for a bright and fun look with some cowgirl flair. Look at all that hair!

Source: Bossip

Source: Bossip

And may we add, Kimora is looking very svelte and sassy these days.

Source: Black Celeb Kids

Speaking of sassy folks, Solange Knowles was also on hand with her son Julez, front row at the Tibi show. They brought along a friend and were full of laughs and silly faces. All look adorable! And as I like to say, the fro is flickin’!

Source: thejasminebrand.com

Another fashionista front row at all the big shows last week was June Ambrose. The stylist brought along her daughter, Summer Chamblin, who is a mini fashionista in the making. Check out a few of her different cute and chic looks since Fashion Week started as the two ladies had their last go-round together before Summer started school.

On a sidenote, I love that little Summer keeps her fashionable redheaded doll on deck to stunt in pictures too!

Source: alltheprettybirds.blogspot.com

Source: fashionista.com

Source: styleite.com

The seven-year-old was too fresh in her little turban!

Source: Zimbio

Source: teenvogue.com

Work baby girl! And you too doll (with her stunner shades on).

Source: williamyan.com

And oh yeah, I just had to share a photo from last year’s New York Fashion Week when the mom and daughter threw on their matching hats and fiercest jackets to check out the newest looks at the time. Little Miss Thing was too cool for school!

source: theybf.com

And last but not least, Justin Combs took part in his first football game as a UCLA Bruin! Of course, he didn’t get to play (he’s a freshman, so it will be a while), but his mom, Misa, and dad, Diddy of course, were there to support. Check out the video Diddy’s people put together of Justin’s first big game, and all the proud papa words Diddy had to share about Justin and his accomplishments!

Awwwww, proud papa indeed!

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Is It Tameka Raymond Or Foster? Should Women Keep Their Married Name After A Divorce?

August 29th, 2012 - By Alissa Henry
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"tameka and usher"

Source: lindaikeji.blogspot.com

The “should she or shouldn’t she take his last name” is a topic of constant debate. The majority of brides decide to take their husband’s last name or at least hyphenate. But when that marriage ends in divorce, then what? Is it weird when a woman keeps her married name after the couple calls it quits?

After a short-lived marriage, Usher Raymond and Tameka Raymond went through a highly publicized divorce and custody battle. The two were at each other’s throats in the courtroom and in social media. Though the couple’s marriage lasted less than two years (and they reportedly lived separately for an entire year in that time), Tameka still goes by “Tameka Raymond”. Some news outlets have begun referring to her as “Tameka Foster” despite no evidence that she has any intention on going back to her maiden name.

Is that weird though? Is it odd that she would keep a last name from a marriage that expired faster than a box of cereal?

I think so. Keeping that last name is a pretty clear indication of her desire to continue to reap any benefits that come from being married to Usher despite no longer being married to him. Of course, some will say, what about the kids? To which I say, what about the kids?  She has four kids by three different men, so the “same last name as my kids” thing doesn’t apply to her.

Of course Tameka is hardly the first divorced woman to raise eyebrows for keeping her ex-husband’s last name.

Last year, when NecoleBitchie.com asked Shaunie O’Neal why she kept “O’Neal” after the divorce, she said she kept it for the kids and because she “earned this name”. According to Webster: “earn” means to receive as return for effort and especially for work done or services rendered. So apparently, Shaunie that keeping “O’Neal” is worth something and she deserves whatever benefits come with that as a result of being married to him for seven years.

When Detroit Radio Station WJLB’s Morning Show asked Kimora Lee Simmons why she kept “Simmons” despite being remarried to Djimon Hounsou, she said:

“Oh my G-d! Cause then… I don’t know! Would my companies still be the same? Ive already been Kimora Lee Simmons for 10 years. I don’t know. Would you ask Ivana Trump that? When it comes to my brand, My brand is KLS (Kimora Lee Simmons). It would be hard to change it to KLH… I think professional the name remains the same, but in my personal life I am definitely a Hounsou… Russell doesn’t care. I worked as hard for that name as he did!”

Again, she feels she “earned” it and has no desire to drop it despite being remarried to another man.

There are countless other Hollywood exes who keep their famous husbands’ last name and some would agree they’ve “earned it” as well. Look no further than the show “Hollywood Exes” for example. Only Prince’s ex-wife Mayte Garcia is going by her maiden name and Sheree Fletcher has her new husband’s last name. Many had no idea that R. Kelly was even married but his ex-wife is indeed “Andrea Kelly”.

Regular women don’t always drop the former husband’s last name either — especially those who were married to their ex-husbands for a long time. It’s not always about wanting to remain associated with the ex, sometimes it’s about the fact that his last name is no longer just his, it’s also hers and it’s part of her identity. Also, some women keep their last name because it is the same last name as their child(ren). Still others have established themselves with a certain name and it can be an unnecessary hassle to change it.

When kids aren’t involved, or the person hasn’t established a career based on that name, sharing the ex-husband’s name can be strange — especially when the marriage wasn’t long in the first place. It’s even more bizarre when the ex-husband has married someone else. I have a friend on Facebook who unceremoniously left her husband after two years of marriage. Five years later she’s still got his last name and he’s re-married to another woman. Awkward.

We all have our own reasons for doing things though and just as it’s a personal choice when a woman decides to take her new husband’s name after marriage, it’s a personal choice when she decides to keep it or discard it after a divorce. When you marry, you vow to stay married til’ death and though people change and vows are broken, you can always opt to take that surname to the grave.

What do you think? Is it odd for a woman to keep her ex-husband’s last name? Would you (did you) keep your husband’s last name after a divorce?

The Bickering Continues: Tameka Raymond’s Friend Says Support Kile’s Real Parents, Not Usher

July 11th, 2012 - By Brande Victorian
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Source:Gossiponthis.com

It’s somewhat unfortunate to see that the jet ski accident that left 11-year-old Kile (Kyle) Glover brain dead Friday hasn’t done much to ease relations between his mother, Tameka Raymond, and her ex-husband, Usher. In an interview with Radar Online, the same site that got the only response from Tameka on her son’s condition, a friend of hers basically said Usher is not in the equation and hasn’t been for a while so he isn’t the one who deserves sympathy right now.

“I’ve seen celebs and media outlets alike continue to send their condolences to Usher. Kile was Tameka and Ryan Glover’s child and the sympathy should be given to them first and foremost,” she said.

“Although Usher has been so kind in chartering a plane so she could be by Kile’s side, he didn’t necessarily play a huge role in Tameka’s other children’s lives after the divorce therefore it seems a little disrespectful that Ryan is being ignored as a father, in place of another just because he’s topping the Billboard charts.

“Ryan was equally devoted and involved in Kile’s life — they shared joint custody and Kile was with his other family at the lake, so for those who are claiming Tameka’s at fault for not being there is just absurd — because of the joint custody, her two boys aren’t always directly in her eyesight, but she is a phenomenal mother.”

I didn’t realize some outlets were trying to blame Tameka for this incident, which I have to agree with the friend is absurd. The point about Ryan Glover deserving support as well is also valid but I don’t think any celebrities or writers meant any disrespect by not mentioning Kile’s biological father (in headlines), it’s just no one really knows who he is. And regardless, this just seems like somewhat of an inappropriate thing to say at a time when the focus should be on other things like a child who’s assumed to be on life support and not who is receiving the most support from celebrities and websites.

As the friend notes in further comments, if anyone needs abundant love and comfort right now, it’s Tameka, and I think most everyone has acknowledged that.

“This is a woman who lost the man of her dreams, her reputation and now her son within the course of four years. My heart goes out to her. Nobody deserves this pain,” she said.

“Perhaps the comment boards that continued to spew venom at a woman they had never met will put the breaks on their misdirected anger and hate and finally give her some peace. She definitely needs it.”

Trying to throw shade on Usher in the process isn’t necessarily going to garner it though. Meanwhile, the family did put out a statement to CNN on Kile’s accident yesterday:

“We know God’s in control, and are leaning on our faith in Him and His word at this most difficult time. “We firmly believe in the power of prayer and ask that you all continue to pray and lift Kile up, as it’s the best way we can all support him now.”

What do you think about these comments from Tameka’s friend? Is she right?

Brande Victorian is the news and operations editor for madamenoire.com. Follow her on twitter @Be_Vic.

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Sad Update: Tameka Raymond’s Son Declared Brain Dead After Jet Ski Accident

July 9th, 2012 - By Brande Victorian
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Source: Globalgrind.com

Tameka Raymond’s 11-year-old son Kyle Glover has taken an unfortunate turn for the worse after he was involved in a jet skiing accident Friday afternoon. After being air lifted from Lake Lanier to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Egleston, Kyle was said to be in critical condition, but as of yesterday afternoon the young boy has reportedly been declared brain dead.

According to TMZ’s sources, Kyle has not experienced any brain activity since he was admitted to the hospital three days ago. There has reportedly been no decision yet as to whether or not to take him off life support and Radar Online claims to have spoken with Tameka about her son’s condition, to which she simply responded:

“He’s Bad.”

Both Kyle and a 15-year-old girl were injured in Friday’s accident when a man who appears to have been apart of their group at the lake struck them with his personal watercraft while they were inner-tubing, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Kyle was unresponsive when he was pulled out of the water but the girl was treated for minor injuries, including a cut to the head and a broken arm.

Though alcohol is not thought to have played a part in the incident, Robin Hill, a representative for the Department of Natural Resources in Atlanta said the department’s Critical Incident Response Team will recreate the accident with computer programs to help determine what happened, including how fast the boats were going at the time of the accident. Once the department completes its investigation, they will send their recommendation over to the district attorney who would then decide whether or not to file charges against the driver.

So far, neither the boy’s father,Ryan Glover, nor his former step-father, Usher, have commented on the situation although Usher is said to have chartered a plane for Tameka to be by her son’s side following the accident. A slew of celebrities have sent their well wishes to the family, including Lala Anthony, Russell Simmons, and Monica. We definitely want to extend ours as well at this difficult time.

Brande Victorian is the news and operations editor for madamenoire.com. Follow her on twitter @Be_Vic.

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Tameka Raymond Says She Didn’t Threaten to Kill Usher, Just Eff Him Up

May 7th, 2012 - By Brande Victorian
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Source:ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com

Tameka and Usher Raymond’s custody trial is just getting off to a start, and it’s not such a good one for Tameka. Usher’s attorney wasted no time suggesting the singer’s ex-wife may not be the best mother in the world by exposing angry threats she reportedly made to Usher and his girlfriend some time back.

After a few stumbles and denial of ever saying, “I will kill you both,” Tameka ended up admitting, “I did probably, out of anger, say ‘I will f*** you up.” Though Tameka said her threat wasn’t acceptable she didn’t say it was without merit. She claimed the statement was made while Usher had been parading around town with his new girlfriend in their tight knit community and she said his behavior embarrassed her. I’m guessing this girlfriend is Usher’s latest boo Grace Miguel, who at 42 proves Usher has a serious thing for older ladies. He popped on the scene with her about the same time he filed for divorce from Tameka in 2009 so I’m sure his new relationship stung pretty badly— although he claimed he ad Tameka been living separately for nearly a year at that point.

There are always two sides to a story though, and so far we’ve only gotten one. Proceedings are continuing soon so there’s no telling what dirt Tameka might pull out on Usher this week. We have a filling this won’t be resolved quickly. Check out this clip from the trial here.

Do you think Tameka’s threat will be damaging to her custody case?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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