How many children does Akon have? Rapper's family explored as wife Tomeka Thaim requests custody of their daughter Journey after filing for divorce

The five-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and rapper Akon is currently making headlines as his wife Tomeka Thaim files for divorce just before their 29th marriage anniversary. Tomeka Thaim, who has been with the 52-year-old rapper, Akon, for almost three decades, filed for divorce on September 11, 2025, four days before their wedding anniversary.

The Smack That hitmaker, who shot to international fame in 2004 with his breakout album Locked Up, is widely regarded as one of the most influential voices in hip-hop and global music. According to People, his wife, Thaim, has filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Thaim, 48, shares a 17-year-old daughter, Journey, with the artist and has listed their separation date as “TBD.

Akon, who has openly expressed his belief in polygamy, revealed in a 2022 interview on The Zeze Mills Show that he is the father of nine children. After nearly 30 years of marriage to the I Wanna Love You singer, his wife Thaim has filed for joint legal custody of their 17-year-old daughter, Journey. In her filing, Thaim requested primary physical custody, granting Akon visitation rights.

As per People, Tomeka Thaim has also requested spousal support from the Troublemaker singer. Akon, who is alleged to have four wives, rapper and hip-hop artist Amirror, in 2023, reportedly said that she was one of his four wives. Akon on the Zeze Mills Show, regarding polygamy, said:

"[Polygamy is] part of our culture. Absolutely. For me, it looks normal, because it’s culture for us. We didn’t go outside of our African culture when we got to the Western world. See, the flaw that the Western world made is they created all these rules without putting nature into account."

Akon claimed he was always there for his nine children

On the Zeze Mills Show, the Sorry, Blame It On Me singer, Akon, stated that he has always been "there for" each one of his kids. He described it as his job "to raise my kids to be responsible, to be understanding,” and to “protect their mother." Akon went ahead and added:

"My job ain't to be doing all that extra stuff and these holidays and recitals. While I’m taking care of my responsibility to make sure the family has a roof over their head and food, if I have the time to do that and show love, yes, I will do that. Communication allows me to be there every day. That’s what my FaceTime phone is for."

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One of Akon's alleged wives, Amirror, in an interview with Rie With the Tea, revealed that the Lonely hitmaker's wives are spread out in places like Los Angeles, Atlanta, and even Africa. Amirror said:

"We all have different households, we all have different lifestyles. We don’t have to see each other so we don’t have to be cool with each other… Akon is the type of man [where] it’s not manipulation, it’s just, if you f--- with it [or] you don’t. This is our culture… Every woman wants to be the only one, and it’s okay."

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