Marques Houston Claps Back at Critics Over Controversial Marriage to 19-year-old Wife
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In response to criticism regarding his relationship, Marques Houston has defended his choice to marry his then 19-year-old wife. Known for producing tracks with the band Immature/IMx and as a solo artist, Houston was 38 when he married Miya Dickey, who was 19 at the time. After meeting through the daughter of Houston’s former manager, Chris Stokes, the couple welcomed their first child, Zara, in 2021. As the singer explained on TVOne’s Uncensored program, they first met when Miya was 17 – but they didn’t develop a relationship until she was 18.
It wasn’t until…you know…she was of the age that we had a [real] conversation…a [real] connection. Now, the 41-year-old star has defended himself regarding the criticism he’s received. In a new interview with Page Six, Houston revealed that women his age typically come with ‘baggage and kids’, which he calls a ‘red flag’ for him. Despite his previous association with singer Mila J and her You Got Served co-star Jennifer Freeman, who is best known for her role as Claire Kyle in the sitcom My Wife and Kids, the ‘Clubbin’ singer noted that he’s dated “so many different women” throughout his life.
Despite Criticism, Marques Houston, 41, Defends His Decision To Marry A 19-Year-Old
Known for appearing in Fat Albert, Love & Hip-Hop: Hollywood, and You Got Served, Marques Houston has been criticised for explaining why dating older women had not been successful for him in the past based on their “baggage”, their “different outlook on life,” and the likelihood that they would have children from previous relationships. Houston, 41, tied the knot with his now 22-year-old wife Miya Houston in 2020 at the age of 39 and 19. In March 2019, the couple became engaged after dating since Miya turned 18 the year before. During a recent interview with Page Six, Houston, who rose to prominence in the 1990s as part of the R&B group Immature/IMx, said it would have been disastrous to marry someone his own age. It would have been disastrous if I had married a 41-year-old, he told the outlet. Whenever I sit and talk to women, I find that their outlook on life is very different from mine. Women my age tend to be very independent. As if they are saying, I don’t need a man to do this for me, because I can do it myself. According to Houston, he would never date a woman who would not want to be dependent on her partner, as he belongs to a generation that values providing for its members.
Moreover, he called single mothers a “red flag” and said older women carry “baggage”. The red flag for me is always a woman with a child,” he said. While I don’t object to single women, single mothers are a red flag for me. My dad always told me that one should have one’s own children since one never knows what the baby daddies are like. Therefore, if you want children, choose a woman who has never had kids. I always considered that a red flag… as well as a woman with an attitude. Women with funky attitudes don’t appeal to me. Aside from mentioning that he has dated “so many different women” throughout his life, the ‘Clubbin’ singer has also been linked to Mila J and his co-star Jennifer Freeman on You Got Served, who starred in My Wife and Kids. In a conversation with Page Six, he explained what makes Miya different from his previous girlfriends: she’s beautiful, smart, talented, caring, loving… all the things I want in a partner… it just so happens that she’s caught my heart. Houston met Miya through a mutual friend when she was still a teenager, prompting accusations on social media that he groomed her. Houston previously stated that the two did not get romantically involved until she was 18 years old. Houston’s latest statements sparked yet another round of anger on social media, with many accusing him of being predatory.
