American comedian Gary Owen has spoken candidly about his estrangement from his family. On August 23, the 48-year-old celebrity admitted during an appearance on The Breakfast Club podcast that he hasn’t spoken to his children in a year due to his divorce from ex-wife Kenya Duke.

The comic continues:

“I’ve taken every step. My daughter is enrolled at A&T, so I drove to Greensborough to visit her. When I knocked on her door, she didn’t answer. tried to contact her at the airport. On social media, I was blocked. I used every channel available to try to contact my daughter. When I reach out my hand, I am stopped.

Additionally, Owen claimed that news sources and social media, rather than their parents, were the source of his children’s knowledge of his divorce:

“We hid it from the children. We were going to wait and do it together, but they found out from TMZ.
After a year, Owen made the decision to speak out about the incident so his children could hear his perspective. He said on the podcast:

“Everyone was urging me to share my point of view. And to be completely honest, it’s another effort to get my kids to hear it.

In 2003, Kenya Duke and Gary Owen exchanged vows. Emilio, Kennedy and Austin are the three children they have together. The biological son of Duke and Emilo Toliver Senior, Emilio, their eldest, is 31 years old. Owen and Duke’s biological children, Kennedy and Austin, are now 21 and 20 years old, respectively.

After 18 years of marriage, Duke filed for divorce in the Los Angeles County Superior Court of California in March 2021 citing irreconcilable differences.

People Magazine claimed in June of that year that Duke demanded $44,000 a month in spousal support from Owen after she gave up her “promising account management position” for the comedian.

At the time, Duke made the following other claims:

“I request that Gary be ordered to continue making the monthly payments of $44,000 because that has been our agreement for approximately four years, as well as a lump sum payment of $88,000 because he neglected to inform me provide money over the past two months,” the letter read.
The podcaster and businesswoman, however, did not hold back from revealing the details of her nuptials on social networks. Duke said in a since-deleted Instagram post that Gary Owen withheld money from the family and had adulterous affairs during their marriage.

Kenya Duke, who reportedly paid the mortgage, tagged the comedian in a lengthy post she posted, according to Hot New Whip Whop, and urged him to “stop lying about paying the mortgage.”

She added further:

“These squatters you don’t talk about reside here. We only have one problem: a liar and narcissist who no longer resides in the house. I’m done there. You are not at all bothered by us in vain. You’re going too far. You are the 48-year-old version of the father you criticize so harshly on stage for treating you poorly when he was in his 20s.
Gary Owen also addressed Kenya’s allegations in June 2021 when he made an appearance on the Wendy Williams Show. He claimed that at the time his lawyer advised him not to comment on the subject, but it appears his divorce from Duke had taken a “major turn.”

“It’s a huge problem, but I can’t talk about it yet. This changed the entire dynamic of divorce.

Gary Owen responded to media claims that he had not seen his children during the same interview, saying they were all adults and it was “not uncommon, when you have adult children , not to see them for a few months.” He further clarified the situation saying:

“When the news broke, my daughter was studying at university. She has a job and stays in Kenya. I travel. We chat and text.
Gary Owen also clarified that he was not a “deadbeat parent,” as Kenya Duke called him after accusing him of infidelity.