On Monday, August 24, 2026, actress and singer Serayah McNeill posted a lengthy statement on Instagram that confirmed what fans had been suspecting for weeks. Her engagement to rapper and actor Joey Badass was over.
The announcement was not vague or ambiguous. Serayah directly cited repeated infidelity as the reason for the split, writing that she had to “face a painful truth” about behavior that occurred during “some of the most vulnerable and meaningful moments” of her life. She also briefly posted, then deleted, video evidence of what appeared to be a recorded phone conversation between Joey and another woman.
The breakup brought a sudden end to one of entertainment’s most visible young couples. Just 16 months earlier, they had appeared on the cover of Essence as expectant parents, speaking warmly about love, family, and Joey’s decision to leave polyamory behind. Their son was barely a year old when it all fell apart.
Here is the full story of how they came together, what happened behind the scenes, and where both now stand.
How Serayah and Joey Badass Met
The two first crossed paths in 2021 at a birthday party hosted by a mutual friend. Joey Badass later told Essence that the moment left a lasting impression on him. He recalled thinking he had never seen a woman so beautiful, describing her aura as something that radiated across the room.
Serayah, for her part, described Joey as the most mysterious person she had ever met, someone who spoke loudly without saying anything at all.
Despite the mutual attraction, nothing happened immediately. They remained in each other’s orbits as friends for roughly a year before things shifted.
Going Public: The “Show Me” Video and St. Lucia
In March 2023, Joey released the music video for his single “Show Me,” featuring Serayah as his co-star. The clip depicted the two as a couple in love, with scenes of them on a boat, lounging together, and navigating the highs and lows of a relationship. The chemistry was obvious, and rumors about a real romance began circulating almost immediately.
When asked directly about the relationship during an interview with xoNecole in spring 2023, Joey deflected. He called Serayah gorgeous and talented, said they had a “pretty cool friendship,” and declared himself single. But he left the door open, adding, “Things could happen.”
Things did happen. By the end of 2023, the two were together. They confirmed the relationship publicly during a vacation in St. Lucia in early 2024, sharing photos and putting the speculation to rest.
The Pregnancy Reveal: New York Fashion Week, February 2025
Serayah McNeill announced her pregnancy in one of the more memorable celebrity reveals in recent years. During New York Fashion Week in February 2025, she walked the runway for the Adore Me lingerie show and debuted her baby bump on the catwalk.
In an interview with Essence, she explained that the opportunity presented itself organically. “An opportunity came to me to walk in the Adore Me fashion show, and I disclosed to them that I was, I think at the time, around five or six months pregnant,” she said. When the brand confirmed they were comfortable with it, Serayah and Joey agreed the runway would be the moment.
The reveal went viral. It also marked the beginning of a period where the couple became increasingly visible as a unit, doing joint interviews, attending events together, and speaking openly about their relationship and upcoming parenthood.
Joey Badass, Polyamory, and the Shift to Monogamy
A significant part of the public narrative around the couple centered on Joey’s past. In 2021, he had publicly identified as polyamorous, saying he believed more people were interested in non-monogamy than would admit it. He described polyamory as a way to be transparent with his partners rather than lying about seeing multiple people.
By the time he committed to Serayah Ranee McNeill, that had changed. In a joint Essence cover story published in May 2025, Joey explained the shift candidly. He said polyamory was where he had been at in his life at the time, living a bachelor’s lifestyle, but that meeting Serayah, buying a home, and preparing for fatherhood had changed his perspective entirely.
He emphasized that the transition was not forced. On Cam Newton’s Funky Friday podcast in October 2025, he elaborated further, saying the shift “came with maturation.” He described his previous on-and-off relationship with his high school sweetheart, the mother of his daughter Indigo Rain (born April 2018), and how those experiences eventually led him to want something different.
His words at the time were definitive. He said he did not discourage anyone from pursuing polyamory, but that he was “very much monogamous now” and felt secure in that choice.
Those statements take on a very different weight in light of what Serayah has since alleged.
The Engagement and the Baby
The couple’s son was born in June 2025. Joey also has a daughter, Indigo Rain Scott, from a previous relationship.
Reports about the engagement vary slightly by outlet. Capital Xtra reported that fans first spotted an engagement ring on Serayah’s finger in a TikTok video posted in May 2025, while other outlets, including Us Weekly and Famous Birthdays, place the engagement in July 2025. Joey referenced Serayah as his fiancee in a diss track released around the same time, which further confirmed the news.
The couple appeared together at the 2026 Invest Fest in Atlanta on August 8, speaking on stage as recently as two weeks before the breakup.
The Breakup: Serayah’s Full Statement
On August 24, 2026, Serayah posted the following statement on Instagram:
View this post on Instagram
“There comes a point in a woman’s life when choosing herself is no longer an option, it becomes necessary. After much thought, I have made the difficult decision to end my engagement and relationship with the father of my child, Joey. I loved deeply, believed wholeheartedly in the life we were building, and wanted nothing more than to protect our family. Unfortunately, I also had to face a painful truth: there had been repeated infidelity throughout our relationship, including during some of the most vulnerable and meaningful moments of my life.”
She then addressed women directly, offering words of encouragement. “If your intuition is telling you something is wrong, listen to it. Don’t make yourself smaller to keep someone else comfortable. Don’t compromise your values because you’re afraid of losing the future you imagined. Love should not require you to abandon yourself.”
She closed by affirming her commitment to protecting her son. “I will always respect the fact that we share a beautiful son, and my priority will be protecting his peace, privacy, and relationship with both of his parents. For that reason, I won’t be discussing the intimate details of our relationship publicly beyond what I have shared here. This chapter did not end the way I prayed it would. But endings can also be beginnings.”
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The Deleted Post: Evidence of Another Woman
Before posting her formal statement, Serayah briefly shared, and then deleted, an Instagram Story that appeared to show recorded evidence of the alleged infidelity.
According to TMZ, the clip showed what appeared to be a recorded phone conversation playing on her computer between Joey and an unidentified woman. In the conversation, the other woman was reportedly speaking negatively about Serayah. Serayah captioned the clip with a message expressing disbelief that Joey was already talking to another woman about their relationship.
She deleted the post shortly afterward and followed up with a brief message: “Post and delete. If you saw, you saw.”
The decision to post and then remove the evidence appears deliberate. It provided enough confirmation for those paying attention without turning the breakup into a prolonged public spectacle, a choice consistent with her stated priority of protecting their son’s privacy.
Joey Badass Has Not Publicly Responded
As of August 25, 2026, Joey Badass has not issued a public statement in response to Serayah’s announcement. He has not posted on social media about the breakup, and representatives have not commented to the press. Multiple outlets, including Essence, Us Weekly, and TMZ, have noted the silence.
Who Is Serayah McNeill?
Serayah Ranee McNeill was born on June 20, 1995, in Encinitas, California. She also grew up in parts of Washington and Georgia. She graduated from Taft High School in Woodland Hills, California in 2013, where she played on the girls’ varsity basketball team.
Her entertainment career began young. She was a dancer in a music video at age 11, modeled for a PlayStation Move campaign at 15, and sang at the Radio Disney Christmas concert in 2012 while still in high school.
Acting Career
Serayah’s breakthrough came in 2015 when she was cast as Tiana Brown on Fox’s Empire. A friend’s step-mother happened to be the casting director for the show, which led to the audition. The role was her first major on-camera performance. She appeared on Empire from 2015 through the show’s final season in 2020.
She also appeared in Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” music video in 2015, playing a character called Dilemma. Swift later brought her on stage during the Chicago stop of the 1989 World Tour to perform “Style” together.
Additional acting credits include the BET+ musical drama Kingdom Business (2022-2023), where she played Rebecca “Rbel” Belle, and the Netflix film Ruth and Boaz (2025), a Tyler Perry and DeVon Franklin production based on the biblical love story, in which she played the lead role of Ruth opposite Phylicia Rashad. She also appeared in the Chris Brown music video “Undecided” (2019) and a Diddy featuring Bryson Tiller video for “Gotta Move On” (2022).
Music
Serayah released her debut EP, Addicted, in 2018. She has released original music on streaming platforms and has described Beyonce and Rihanna as her primary influences.
Previous Relationship
Before Joey Badass, Serayah dated singer and actor Jacob Latimore. They split due to what has been described as mismatched goals regarding commitment.
Who Is Joey Badass?
Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott was born on January 20, 1995, in Brooklyn, New York. He was the first in his family to be born in the United States. His mother is from St. Lucia and his father is from Jamaica.
He attended Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn, originally for acting, but shifted his focus to writing poetry and rapping at age 11. While in high school, he co-founded the hip-hop collective Pro Era with classmates.
Music Career
Joey Badass gained national attention in 2012 at age 17 when he released his debut mixtape, 1999. The project, which drew heavily from 1990s boom-bap production and lyrical styles, was met with widespread critical acclaim and established him as one of the most promising young voices in East Coast hip-hop.
His debut studio album, B4.Da.$$, was released on his 20th birthday in January 2015 and debuted at number five on the Billboard 200. His second album, All-Amerikkkan Badass (2017), also reached number five. His third album, 2000 (2022), debuted at number 22 on the same chart.
His most recent studio release, Lonely at the Top, arrived in 2025.
Acting Career
Joey made his television acting debut in 2016 as Leon, a recurring character in the USA Network series Mr. Robot, starring alongside Rami Malek. He went on to appear in Wu-Tang: An American Saga, Grown-ish, and the Netflix short film Two Distant Strangers, which won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 2021.
His most prominent acting role is Unique in the Starz series Power Book III: Raising Kanan, the 50 Cent-produced franchise entry that premiered in 2021 and in which he has appeared across multiple seasons.
Personal Life and Children
Joey has two children. His daughter, Indigo Rain Scott, was born in April 2018 from a previous relationship with his high school sweetheart. His son with Serayah was born in June 2025.
His estimated net worth is approximately $8 million, according to multiple financial estimation outlets. His income comes from album sales, touring, acting roles, and brand partnerships including work with Adidas.
Relationship Timeline
2021: Serayah and Joey first meet at a mutual friend’s birthday party on a boat. No immediate romantic relationship develops, but mutual attraction is apparent.
Early 2022: The two begin spending more time together and develop a closer friendship that edges toward romance.
March 2023: Joey releases the music video for “Show Me” featuring Serayah. Chemistry in the video fuels dating rumors. Joey publicly denies a romantic relationship but leaves the door open.
Late 2023: The couple begins dating officially. They publicly confirm the relationship.
Early 2024: Serayah and Joey go public with a vacation in St. Lucia.
March 2024: A viral video of the couple arguing and Serayah crying circulates online. Joey responds by posting photos of them together, dismissing speculation about a breakup.
February 2025: Serayah reveals her pregnancy by walking the Adore Me runway at New York Fashion Week.
May 2025: Serayah and Joey appear on the cover of Essence as expectant parents. Joey publicly discusses leaving polyamory behind.
May-July 2025: The engagement is confirmed. Reports differ on exact timing, with some outlets citing May and others citing July.
June 2025: Their son is born.
October 2025: Joey discusses the transition from polyamory to monogamy on Cam Newton’s Funky Friday podcast.
August 8, 2026: The couple appears together on stage at Invest Fest in Atlanta.
August 24, 2026: Serayah announces the breakup and end of the engagement on Instagram, citing repeated infidelity. She briefly posts and deletes video evidence of Joey communicating with another woman.
Why This Story Resonated
The breakup has struck a particular chord across social media and entertainment commentary for several reasons.
First, it involves a couple that was unusually public about their commitment. The Essence cover story, the runway pregnancy reveal, the joint appearances, and Joey’s candid interviews about leaving polyamory for monogamy all created a narrative of a couple that had consciously chosen each other. That narrative now carries a different meaning.
Second, Serayah’s statement was notable for its tone. She was direct about the infidelity without being vindictive. She named the behavior, offered advice to other women, and drew a clear boundary about what she would and would not share publicly. The “post and delete” strategy with the video evidence added a layer of controlled transparency, giving her audience just enough to understand that her claims were grounded in something tangible.
Third, the timing matters. Their son had just turned one. The engagement was barely a year old. The Essence interviews in which Joey spoke about feeling “secure” in monogamy were published only 15 months earlier. The speed at which the public narrative shifted from aspirational Black love to alleged betrayal made the story unavoidable.
FAQ
Why did Serayah break up with Joey Badass?
Serayah announced on August 24, 2026, that she ended the engagement due to what she described as repeated infidelity throughout their relationship. She said the cheating occurred during “some of the most vulnerable and meaningful moments” of her life, which many interpreted as a reference to her pregnancy and the early months of their son’s life.
When did Serayah and Joey Badass start dating?
They first met in 2021 at a mutual friend’s party. They began dating around late 2022 to early 2023 and confirmed their relationship publicly in early 2024 during a vacation in St. Lucia.
Do Serayah and Joey Badass have children together?
Yes. They have one son, born in June 2025. Joey also has a daughter, Indigo Rain Scott, born in April 2018 from a previous relationship.
Were Serayah and Joey Badass engaged?
Yes. They got engaged in 2025, with reports placing the engagement between May and July of that year. Serayah called off the engagement on August 24, 2026.
Was Joey Badass polyamorous?
Yes. Joey publicly identified as polyamorous in 2021 and discussed the lifestyle in multiple interviews. After beginning his relationship with Serayah, he said he had left polyamory behind and embraced monogamy, a transition he described as natural and driven by maturation.
What did Serayah post and delete?
According to TMZ, Serayah briefly posted an Instagram Story showing what appeared to be a recorded phone conversation between Joey and another woman. In the recording, the other woman was reportedly making disparaging comments about Serayah. She deleted the post shortly afterward, writing, “Post and delete. If you saw, you saw.”
Has Joey Badass responded to the breakup?
As of August 25, 2026, Joey has not publicly addressed Serayah’s statement or the infidelity allegations.
What is Serayah known for?
Serayah Ranee McNeill is an actress, singer, and model best known for her role as Tiana Brown on Fox’s Empire (2015-2020). She also appeared in Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” music video, starred in BET+’s Kingdom Business, and played the lead in the Netflix film Ruth and Boaz (2025).
What is Joey Badass known for?
Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott, known as Joey Badass, is a rapper and actor from Brooklyn, New York. He is the co-founder of the hip-hop collective Pro Era. His debut mixtape, 1999 (2012), and albums B4.Da.$$ (2015) and All-Amerikkkan Badass (2017) both reached number five on the Billboard 200. As an actor, he is best known for playing Unique in Power Book III: Raising Kanan and Leon in Mr. Robot.
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Last Updated on August 25, 2026 by 247 News Around The World
