Who is Smokey Robinson’s wife, Frances Gladney? Age, children and all we know as Smokey accused of s*xual assault

Motown legend Smokey Robinson has been accused of s*xual assault by four of his former women employees, according to a complaint filed at the Los Angeles Superior Court on May 6, 2025. His wife, Frances's name, has also been included in the lawsuit.

A report in Fox 11 Los Angeles stated that the unnamed women used to work as a housekeeper at Robinson's Chatsworth home. They are reportedly seeking $50 million in total damages from the couple, who are allegedly accused of sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, gender violence, and creating a hostile work environment.

CNN reported that these women worked between 2007 and 2024 at various times. Each gave a similar reason for their resignation because of Robinson’s “repeated s*xual assaults and s*xual harassment.”

The complaint added that Robinson’s wife, Frances, took no action to stop it. Instead, they were rebuked by her for trying to eat or take breaks, despite working overtime for 60 hours a week.

The singer-songwriter married his second wife, Frances, in May 2002. She is a successful interior designer by profession. She notably renovated their home in Chatsworth, California. She launched a skincare line called Skinphonic in collaboration with a brand. It includes two skincare collections that are named after the songs My Girl and The Get Ready. These tracks were inspired by songs Robinson wrote for the Temptations.

The recent case of s*xual assault against the couple has brought attention to Robinson and his wife, Frances, who has relatively maintained a low public profile.

What do we know about Smokey Robinson’s wife Frances Gladney?

Frances Gladney, who is Smokey Robinson’s current wife and reportedly dragged into a s*xual assault case, was born on February 19, 1952. Currently, she is 73 years old. She shares the same birthday as her husband, although they are 12 years apart from each other.

The legendary singer, who was born on February 19, 1940, spoke to Pittsburgh Quarterly in an interview about his wife. He said,

“She was from Pittsburgh, but I met her in Los Angeles. We’ve known each other for more than 30 years now but, for a long time, we were just two people among a group of friends who hung out and celebrated holidays, birthdays, and so on, together.”

He further told the outlet that they remained friends for years, but never became romantically involved. Then, one year, all of their friends decided to take them both out on their birthday. He shared that one of the items on the menu was coconut shrimp...and it turned out that he and Frances loved it.

A week later when they were talking over the phone, he asked her, “Hey, let’s go get some coconut shrimp.” And she agreed, and that was how their relationship began.

Frances is from Pittsburgh, and she helped her husband in designing their homes in L.A., Las Vegas, and Pittsburgh. Their Pittsburgh home is the base of operations for Smokey Robinson Wines, which they launched in 2018.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Smokey Robinson’s net worth is $150 million. Gladney has a net worth of $500 thousand, per Briefly.

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Reportedly, they don’t share any biological kids together. But Robison has three kids from his previous relationships.

Before Gladney, Robinson was married to Claudette Rogers Robinson for 27 years (1959-1986). Their marriage fell apart and they got a divorce in 1986. After that, it was revelaed that he had fathered a third child with his mistress in an extra marital affair. They welcomed two children, a son, Berry Robinson (born in 1968) and daughter, Tamla Robinson (born in 1971). He shares his third child, Trey Robinson (born in 1984), with a woman named Kandi, per a report in Distractify.

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