The singer Akon is opening up about life with multiple wives, and he is making one thing very clear—he is the only man in the picture. The 53-year-old “Lonely” singer appeared on the We Need To Talk podcast on May 19, 2026, where he discussed the structure of his polygamous marriages and shared the rules that keep his family running.
While the Grammy-nominated artist confirmed he has more than one wife, he refused to give a specific number. When asked directly how many wives he has, Akon simply said, “I’ll just leave that to your imagination.” He later added with a smile, “It’s entertainment,” after someone compared him to the Senegalese president who has two wives.
First Wife Is ‘The Queen’ With No Exceptions
Akon made it clear that within his household, there is a strict pecking order. His first wife holds a special position that cannot be challenged by anyone else who joins the family. He calls her “the queen” and says she is the reason he was able to have additional wives.
“Nobody violates Wife No. 1. The moment they violate, out the door. She’s the one that’s actually sacrificing in the end. With new people joining your family, there is going to be new attitudes, new mindsets, new behaviors and she has to deal with that.” – Akon
The singer explained that his first wife is always his emergency contact, no matter what. He said respect for her is non-negotiable, and any other wife who breaks that rule gets removed from the family immediately.
Rules Only Apply One Way In Akon’s Marriages
The “Smack That” singer also addressed whether his wives are allowed to have other partners. His answer was short and direct. When asked if his wives can see other people, Akon responded, “Only me.” He explained that polyamory works for him because he is honest about it from the beginning. He said every partner who enters the relationship knows the expectations before joining.
Akon described polyamory as “natural behavior for men,” but noted that most people control that behavior to keep peace in their relationships. He said the rules only matter once someone has made a promise to a partner.
The singer also pushed back against people who criticize his lifestyle. He argued that the arrangement actually benefits the women more than it benefits him.
“Oftentimes when the family is united in that way, the benefit is more for the woman than it is for the man because the man actually has to take care of all of them. He has to treat them all equally and their responsibility bears on him as well.” – Akon
Father Of Nine With Seven Boys And Two Girls
While Akon kept the number of his wives a secret, he did share details about his children. He confirmed that he has nine children in total—seven boys and two girls. He described his kids as “amazing” and said communication is the key to making his complicated family life work.
“You got to be mature enough to know that, ‘If this is the situation that I’m going to park in, I have to communicate,’” Akon said on the podcast.
The singer, whose real name is Aliaune Thiam, has defended polygamy for years. In a 2022 interview, he called it “part of our culture” and said it looks normal to him because of his African background. He also criticized Western rules about marriage, saying they do not take nature into account.
Divorce Filing From First Wife After 29 Years
Akon’s recent comments come nearly eight months after his first wife, Tomeka Thiam, filed for divorce. Court documents obtained by TMZ and confirmed by Billboard show that Tomeka filed in September 2025, just days before the couple’s 29th wedding anniversary.
The couple married on September 15, 1996. In the filing, Tomeka cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split. She requested joint legal custody of their 17-year-old daughter Journey and asked for sole physical custody. She also asked the court for spousal support and to block Akon from receiving any support from her.
The divorce filing revealed that Akon and Tomeka share one minor child together. The court documents did not specify whether the couple had already separated before the filing, listing the date of separation as “TBD.”
Akon has not publicly responded to the divorce filing. His representatives also did not comment when reached by Billboard at the time.
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Online Debate Over Akon’s Relationship Rules
After the podcast episode aired, listeners quickly shared mixed reactions online. Some defended Akon’s honesty about his lifestyle, while others criticized the unequal rules that allow him to have multiple partners but forbid his wives from doing the same.
The singer’s defenders pointed out that he has always been open about his beliefs. Critics argued that calling polyamory “natural for men” while restricting women is unfair. Akon responded to that criticism by saying people who judge him are often not honest about their own relationships.
Akon has previously said his life was easier when he had multiple women around him. In a separate interview earlier in 2026, he said, “It is a lot harder with just one woman.”
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