Towanda Braxton on Her Ex-Husband: ‘He Told Me if I Divorced Him That He’ll Only Be Cordial With the Kids’
Towanda Braxton makes it no secret that her marriage to Andre Carter was not a happy one. After 12 years of marriage, Braxton filed for divorce. She says that since the split, Carter has been an absentee father and warned her ahead of the divorce that he wouldn’t play an active role in their children’s lives. Thankfully, she says her boyfriend is a surrogate father.
Towanda Braxton previously praised Andre Carter’s fatherhood
During the first few seasons of Braxton Family Values, Braxton and Carter’s marriage lacked romanticism. In fact, Braxton admitted that she only stayed with Carter for the benefit of their two children, calling their union a “marriage of convenience.”
Related: Who Is Towanda Braxton’s Boyfriend, Sean Hall?
The next few seasons chronicled Carter’s attempts to save his marriage. Still, Braxton seemed unphased, complaining of Carter being lazy and not maintaining employment. At one point, the couple were evicted from their home and lived with her sisters Toni and Trina before Braxton purchased her own home, which she allowed Carter to live in.
Despite their ups and downs, Braxton praised Carter as a father, noting that he served as the primary parent while she worked to care for their family. She even defended Carter against her sister Tamar, who referred to Carter as a “babysitter.”
Andre Carter and Towanda Braxton’s contentious divorce proceedings
By 2016, Braxton had enough of a marriage in limbo and filed for divorce. Carter was not receptive to the split. He fought for full custody of their two children, claiming that Braxton was an absentee mother who only provided for their children financially.
As part of the custody request, he also asked for child support. Ironically, Braxton understood Carter’s request for child support, saying that if a woman had full custody no one would judge if she asked for child support.
Related: ‘Braxton Family Values’ Star Towanda Braxton Loses Home to Foreclosure Amid Bankruptcy
Carter also requested real estate, asking for Braxton’s home and two vacation properties, as well as alimony. The show chronicled a therapy session where Braxton pleaded for a peaceful split.
Carter eventually agreed to joint custody. Us Weekly reports that the former couple reached an amicable divorce settlement. Neither had to pay child support. They also agreed to waive their right to alimony support.
Under the conditions of the settlement, Braxton and Carter both kept their individual checking, savings, and retirement accounts.
The ‘Braxton Family Values’ star says Andre Carter doesn’t see or speak to their kids; claims Carter is bitter over divorce
Braxton is now backtracking on her praise of Carter as a father. In a recent interview with Tami Roman on Roman’s FOX Soul talk show Get Into It, Braxton says she misled fans regarding Carter’s parenting. She cites not wanting to portray Carter as another absent Black father as her reasoning.
“I felt in our community and on reality shows, that’s all you saw was bashing African American men and I didn’t want to be a part of that,” she admits.
She says that since their split, Carter has barely seen or spoken to their children and when he was, he involved their children in their drama. She says Carter ran into their son at a mall a year ago, and that it was the first time he’d seen him since the split. Overall, she says Carter hasn’t seen their children in three years.
Braxton says she tried getting Carter to be more involved but because he’s so bitter about their breakup, he’s refused. “He told me that if I divorced him, that he would just be cordial with the kids,” she alleges. “That he’s not going to want to have anything to do with the kids.”
Braxton has her children in counseling as a result of the split and issues with Carter. She also credits her boyfriend Sean Hall for stepping in as a father figure.
