Akon claims he’s advised Ne-Yo on how to manage having multiple girlfriends.
The “I Wanna Love You” vocalist was recently interviewed by Complex News’ Izzy Izzo and spoke about Ne-Yo, who he’s currently on the road with during the Nights Like This Tour. Akon practices polygamy, although he hasn’t specified how many women he’s married to. Last year, one of his wives, Tomeka Thiam, filed for divorce after nearly 30 years together.
Around the 28-minute mark of the interview below, Akon stated plainly, “I consult Ne-Yo.” The R&B singer-songwriter is in a polyamorous relationship with three women and was previously married to Crystal Renay from 2016 to 2023. Altogether, the three-time Grammy winning vocalist has seven children, including three with Renay.
“I just tell him to be a man,” he continued. “Look at him. He's living his best life. Why? Because he’s staying down to what it is he wants. And you’ve just got to be honest. It's literally that simple.”
Ne-Yo has stressed that honesty is one of the main reasons that he began a polyamorous lifestyle after cheating in past relationships. In a 2024 episode of the podcast Lemon Drop with Karleen Roy, the “So Sick” singer reflected on “time wasted” in forcing monogamy with previous women.
“I don't have to lie anymore, and I'll be damned if I ever go back to that person that needed to lie for the appeasement of somebody else. I'm not that no more,” he said.
Last month, Akon detailed the family hierarchy among his multiple wives during an episode of podcast We Need to Talk. Among his rules was there needing to be utmost respect for his first wife, who he referred to as a “queen.”
"Nobody violates wife No. 1. The moment they violate, [they're] out the door,” he said in the video below.
