Lena Waithe Says Her 2-Month Marriage to Alana Mayo Was to 'Honor' Their Relationship, Not Her 'Happiness'
Lena Waithe Says Her 2-Month Marriage to Alana Mayo Was to 'Honor' Their Relationship, Not Her 'Happiness'
Charna FlamTue, June 2, 2026 at 5:00 AM UTC
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Lena Waithe; Alana Mayo
Credit: Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty; Dan Steinberg/Amazon MGM Studios via Getty
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Lena Waithe and Alana Mayo tied the knot in November 2019 after five years together, but divorced two months into their marriage
The Chi creator reflected on the marriage during an appearance on the Armchair Expert podcast on Monday, June 1
Waithe said the marriage ended because they wanted different things, including her realization she didn't want children
Lena Waithe is reflecting on her two-month marriage to ex-wife Alana Mayo.
The Emmy winner, 42, appeared on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast on Monday, June 1, and closed out her interview chatting about her previous relationship with Mayo, saying the brief marriage was impactful because it "changed" her life.
Waithe and Mayo began dating in 2014 and were engaged in 2017. They secretly tied the knot in November 2019 before announcing their decision to separate in January 2020. Mayo formally filed for divorce in November 2020, and their divorce was finalized in May 2021. Waithe shared that she was dating Cynthia Erivo in May 2022.
The 42-year-old explained that the decision to split was because she felt she wasn't as happy as she should be but thought, "'This is what I'm supposed to be doing.' "
Lena Waithe and Alana Mayo on April 24, 2018 in New York City
Credit: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
“I just didn't have the language or understanding of that," the Master of None actress explained, noting that it felt like her "happiness didn't feel like it was important," but it was more important to "honor this relationship.”
Waithe said she later realized that they “wanted different things," especially when it came to having children. "That's a pretty big life change. And so, at that time … I just kept putting it off,” she said. “And so, that wasn't me lying. It was me still trying to understand what I wanted and who I wanted to be. And I think that's why, for me, it's really important having this perspective stepping back.”
“All I knew was, ‘I want to be with this person. I want to have this house. I want to have this dog. I want to have this mural.' But then I didn't ask myself, ‘But where do you want to be in five years, really?' ” she said.
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Waithe later added that she didn't think she handled the end of her marriage, which she described as a "car crash," especially well.
"I just sort of like, was driving the car too fast, not knowing the gear, and just sort of going," The Chi creator explained. "I wish I could have landed the plane better."
"Ultimately, and again, it's about giving yourself grace and kind of looking back at it and go 'Oh, you could have handled that much better.' 'You could have dealt with that in a different way,' " she said, before explaining she knows they're both where they need to be after parting ways.
"I don't have any ill will toward anyone," she said, adding, "[The] ill will is toward myself."
Lena Waithe on "Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard"
Credit: Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard/Youtube
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Waithe said that she grew as a person following the experience, and that she eventually realized that it was more important for both her and Mayo to be happy than it was for them to stay together.
“And that to me is how you know you really love somebody, is that when you want them to be happy and happier without you,” she added.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
