Jeannie Mai is speaking plainly about the end of her marriage to rapper Jeezy, describing the divorce as one of the most painful experiences of her life — and one that ultimately forced clarity.
Appearing on the January 29 episode of iHeartRadio’s Question Everything podcast, Mai, 47, did not soften the language. “It’s one of the greatest pains that any human has to endure,” she said. “Divorce is just — it’s experiencing death alive.”
Jeezy, born Jay Wayne Jenkins, filed for divorce in September 2023 after two years of marriage. The split, which later turned contentious, marked the end of a relationship Mai had believed was meant to last. Still, she described the experience as both devastating and transformative, calling it her “greatest awakening.”
“You never wish to corrupt something that’s so planned and intended to be forever,” she said, adding that she continues to value what the relationship gave her — particularly the birth of their daughter, Monaco, in January 2022. Monaco turned four earlier this month.
Mai made clear she does not regret the marriage itself. “I’m never gonna regret that I got married,” she said. “I’m so thankful to have experienced love in so many different ways.” What’s changed, she explained, is the work ahead: defining what healthy love looks like for her now.
This was Mai’s second marriage. She was previously married to actor Freddy Harteis from 2007 to 2018 before marrying Jeezy in March 2021. With the benefit of hindsight, Mai said she feels fortunate that her daughter was too young to remember the fallout.
“I am so lucky that Monaco was only one when this happened,” she said. “She’s not gonna remember what that turmoil is like. My job is to define peace for her.”
Despite the scars, Mai said she hasn’t lost faith in love — or marriage. She told host Danielle Robay that she still believes in the beauty of connection, in watching “two humans come together and release their guard.” Asked if she would ever marry again, her answer was direct: yes.
“I really don’t wanna ever put a block on myself,” she said. “You can never put a container around love.”
Since the divorce, Mai has focused on stability — balancing motherhood with career momentum. She currently hosts and executive produces Amazon’s America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation and made her film debut in Christmas in the Spotlight, released in November 2024.
The tone now is not romantic, but resolved. Love, she suggests, isn’t the problem. Understanding it — and protecting peace — is the work.
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Last modified: January 30, 2026
