Taraji P. Henson Confirms Split From Kelvin Hayden; Here’s Why
Taraji P. Henson is a single woman. The Empire star is confirming that her engagement to NFL champion, Kelvin Hayden, is over. Henson says the two did not work out due to being on different paths, leading her to end their relationship.
A recap of Taraji P. Henson and Kelvin Hayden’s relationship
Henson and Hayden began dating in 2015 but the actor was mum on their relationship for nearly two years. Per Essence Magazine, at the time she went public with their romance, Henson said of her decision to share the news:
“I’m happy in my personal life. Finally, it has happened to me! You know, I’m not the type to blast my personal business, but you know, I think that it’s important for people to know that I’m happy. I’m very very happy. I just am. We’ve been together for two years. And no one would really know that because I don’t blast my info like that but I’m very happy.”
Taraji P. Henson, Essence Magazine
Henson proudly showed off their love via Instagram. Hayden gifted her a puppy for Christmas in 2017, the two donned matching Cartier bracelets and even sat courtside at basketball games.
Still, Henson was open about past relationship challenges with Hayden. She admitted to breaking things off with him after suspecting he may have been unfaithful, blocking him from contacting her. She made him prove his desire to be with her by showing consistent actions.
Hayden proposed in May 2018, with Henson gushing over the special moment on Instagram. “I said yes y’all,” she captioned a photo of her with her new diamond ring.
The two were initially to wed in April 2020 but chose to delay the wedding due to their hectic schedules. They later postponed the wedding further due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Taraji P. Henson explains why she and Kelvin Hayden split
Fans began speculating that Henson and Hayden split due to their minimal mention of one another on their respective Instagram accounts. Henson recently celebrated her 50th birthday milestone sans Hayden, and was photographed without her engagement ring.
In a new interview with The Breakfast Club, Henson confirms their split. When asked by host Charlamagne Tha God how she believes Black women handle the pressures of their man’s mental health, Henson opened up about her split.
“I tried, I said, ‘Let’s do the therapy thing,’ but if you’re both not on the same page with that, then you feel like you’re taking it on yourself and that’s not a fair position for anybody to play in a relationship,” she explains.
She did not give specific details about what led to the split but hints that Hayden was not ready or on her level mentally and emotionally.
“My happiness is not his responsibility and his is not mine,” she says. “We have to first learn how to make ourselves happy, to make each other happy. So when one person is taking on the weight of the entire relationship, it’s never going to work. You have to show up, yes you want to be understanding but you can’t lose yourself in that understanding. You have to still stand up for yourself and be there for yourself but it’s hard to do if the other person isn’t doing that either.”
Henson is currently gearing up for her Empire spinoff and focusing on her mental health foundation.
