Nobody walks down the aisle hoping it will fail.
Marriage is one of the most emotionally charged decisions a person can make. So it is no surprise that bringing up a prenuptial agreement can feel like planting doubt in sacred ground.
But in our communities, where generational wealth is still being built brick by brick, skipping that conversation is not just emotionally risky; it can be financially devastating.
For decades, prenups have carried a stigma that is particularly strong among Black couples. Asking for one is often misread as a lack of faith in the relationship, or worse, a signal that you are already planning an exit. In some faith-based communities, the notion contradicts the idea of unconditional commitment. And in households where discussions of wealth have historically been taboo, introducing a legal document before the wedding cake is ordered can feel deeply unromantic.
But financial experts and attorneys are reframing the conversation. A prenuptial agreement is not a prediction of failure. It is a blueprint for clarity.
“Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Kenya Moore learned this the hard way. Before marrying restaurateur Marc Daly in 2017, Moore said she asked for a prenup but relented when Daly refused, arguing the agreement would signal distrust. When the couple separated in 2019 and Moore filed for divorce in May 2021, what followed was more than three years of litigation, a process Moore described publicly as “the world’s longest divorce.” The absence of a prenup left asset division murky and prolonged, turning an already painful split into an expensive legal ordeal.
Singer Mary J. Blige took a different approach. She and her ex-husband, Martin “Kendu” Isaacs, had a prenuptial agreement that included a spousal support waiver clause. Yet even with that protection in place, a Los Angeles judge ordered Blige to pay Isaacs $30,000 per month in temporary spousal support during their 2017 divorce proceedings, ruling the payments reflected the lifestyle he had grown accustomed to during the marriage. A prenup, in this case, is only as strong as its drafting. Vague language, incomplete financial disclosures, or poorly written clauses can be challenged in court. The quality of legal counsel matters enormously.
Then there is the cautionary tale, and counterexample, of Kim Kardashian and Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. Despite a messy, tumultuous divorce filed in February 2021, the former couple reached a settlement in November 2022 largely because their prenuptial agreement was in place and uncontested. Their assets were divided according to the prenup, both waived spousal support, and Ye was ordered to pay $200,000 per month in child support. The prenup did not make the divorce painless, but it created a framework that kept a potentially catastrophic financial dispute from becoming even more prolonged.
A divorce without financial protection can unravel years of wealth-building in a matter of months. People change. Goals shift. Circumstances evolve in ways no couple can predict when standing at the altar. A prenuptial agreement does not mean you love your partner less; it means you respect what you and your partner have built and intend to protect it.
And for those already married without one, the conversation is not over. A postnuptial agreement serves the same protective function and can be drafted at any point during a marriage. Speak with a family law attorney to understand your options before you need them.
