ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 8: Joey Bada$$ and Serayah McNeill speak on stage during 2026 Invest Fest at Georgia World Congress Center on August 8, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
Serayah and Joey Bada$$ have called it quits! She dropped the breakup bombshell on Instagram on Monday (August 24) and didn’t hold back the reason! In her statement, the ‘Empire’ star accused Joey of repeatedly cheating on her. She later shared now-deleted audio of him speaking to another woman. He has yet to publicly address the split.
Four hours after posting, the breakup statement was still available on Serayah’s IG page. She opened with a comment about a woman choosing herself and why, at certain points in life, it’s necessary. Her second sentence got straight to the point. Serayah revealed she ended her engagement to Joey Bada$$, calling it a “difficult decision.” The ex-couple went public with their romance in 2023 and welcomed their first and only child, a son named Joey, last year.
“I loved deeply, believed wholeheartedly in the life we were building and wanted nothing more than to protect our family,” Serayah said in her statement. “Unfortunately, I had to face a painful truth: there had been repeated infidelity throughout our relationship, including during some of the most vulnerable and meaningful moments of my life.”
Serayah clarified that she wasn’t seeking sympathy, retaliation or to “tear anyone down.” She said her reason for exposing her situation is to encourage the next woman to notice the red flags and take action without questioning herself. “If your intuition is telling you something is wrong, listen to it,” her statement said.
“Don’t make yourself smaller to keep someone else comfortable. Don’t compromise your values because you’re afraid of losing the future you imagined. And don’t allow someone else’s choices to become a referendum on your worth. Love should not require you to abandon yourself.”
She closed her statement by saying she respects sharing a son with Joey Bada$$, adding that the boy’s peace and having a relationship with both his parents are her priorities.
“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.”
Despite Serayah’s pledge to limit her comments on the breakup to the statement, she circled back Monday with receipts against Joey Bada$$. The actress hopped on Instagram Stories, tagging her ex-fianc in the video post and adding, “I’M F*CKING DONE” in white text. She then addressed Joey as “this person,” explaining that he proposed to her, said he wanted to build a life together and had her move to be near her, and then cheated. After claiming he wants her and not “that life,” Joey allegedly stepped out with other people, Serayah claimed.
Another IG Stories post, a video, appears to be an audio recording of Joey speaking to a mystery woman. He was seemingly venting about a situation between Serayah and their son’s grandmother, though it’s unclear whether it’s the child’s paternal or maternal grandmother. The woman is heard telling Joey “she’s just lashing out”in one clip, adding that Serayah is “embarrassed.”
“Already talking to another woman about me and what we’re going through…smh. N*ggas are unreal,” Serayah wrote.
Another clip of Joey’s phone call hears him arranging a potential meet-up with the mystery woman, which Serayah mentioned happened last week.
