Chance the Rapper and wife Kirsten share decision to ‘part ways’ after separation

Chance The Rapper and his wife Kristen Corley have announced that they will “parting ways”.

After undergoing a separation period, the long-time couple has decided to officially end their marriage after five years together. They shared the same statement on their Instagram Stories asking for privacy from fans throughout this tough time in their family’s life.

“After a period of separation, the two of us have arrived at the decision to part ways,” their statement said. “We came to this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together.”

In light of the ending of their marriage, the pair - who share two daughters Kensli, eight, and Marli Grace, four - stressed that co-parenting remains their top priority and they will always put their family first. They added: “God has blessed us with two beautiful daughters who we will continue to raise together.”

The statement concluded with a plea asking for “privacy and respect as we navigate this transition”.

On the Fourth of July in 2018, the rapper - whose real name is Chancelor Johnathan Bennett - first announced their engagement in a social media post. The following year the couple tied the knot in March, but reportedly were already legally married through a civil ceremony in December 2018.

That year, Bennett recounted the sweet story of how they first met in a thread shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, that including an old photo of her. It was 2003 and he was just nine years old when he saw Corley for the first time at the real estate office his mom worked at, performing “Independent Women” by Destiny’s Child with her friends.

When they began to sing, he said he remembered “locking eyes with the prettiest girl I ever seen in my almost-a-decade of life on earth”. Although he was too “shy” to approach her at the time, the rapper felt as though it was fate. He noted: “I knew I was gonna marry that girl and I ain’t wanna jump the gun.”

Last month was the couple’s fifth wedding anniversary on 9 March, however, neither celebrated the occasion on social media like they had in the past. Eagle-eyed fans have been speculating for the past year that the pair’s relationship was on the rocks after footage leaked of the rapper dancing with another woman during his 30th birthday bash at Carnival in Jamaica.