Serayah ends engagement to Joey Bada$$, citing repeated infidelity
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The actress and singer revealed that repeated infidelity played a role in her decision and said her priority now is protecting their son.
Serayah is done, and she told the story on her own terms.
The actress and singer announced Monday, Aug. 24, on Instagram that she has ended her engagement to Joey Bada$$, the father of her son.
Serayah attributed the decision to repeated infidelity throughout their relationship, including during what she described as some of the most vulnerable and meaningful stretches of her life.
“There comes a point in a woman’s life when choosing herself is no longer an option, it becomes necessary,” Serayah wrote in her statement.
She said the decision followed considerable thought, explaining, “After much thought, I have made the difficult decision to end my engagement and relationship with the father of my child, Joey.”
Serayah made clear that the breakup was not something she wanted. “I loved deeply, believed wholeheartedly in the life we were building, and wanted nothing more than to protect our family,” she wrote.
But she said she ultimately had to confront what she called a painful truth: “there had been repeated infidelity throughout our relationship, including during some of the most vulnerable and meaningful moments of my life.”
Serayah was also explicit that her decision was not about retaliation or publicly embarrassing her former fiancé.
“I share this not for sympathy, retaliation, or to publicly tear anyone down,” she wrote. “I share it because too many women are taught to question themselves before they question what is happening right in front of them.”
She encouraged women who may find themselves in similar situations to trust their instincts. “If your intuition is telling you something is wrong, listen to it,” Serayah wrote.
She also urged women not to sacrifice themselves to preserve a relationship, writing, “Don’t make yourself smaller to keep someone else comfortable. Don’t compromise your values because you’re afraid of losing the future you imagined. And don’t allow someone else’s choices to become a referendum on your worth.”
“Love should not require you to abandon yourself,” she added.
Serayah drew a boundary around what she would share publicly, citing the couple’s son. “I will always respect the fact that we share a beautiful son, and my priority will be protecting his peace, privacy and relationship with both of his parents,” she wrote.
“For that reason, I won’t be discussing the intimate details of our relationship publicly beyond what I have shared here.”
The relationship became public in June 2023, when Joey marked Serayah’s birthday with a post making things official, months after he had downplayed dating rumors sparked by her appearance in one of his music videos. Serayah announced her pregnancy in February 2025 and appeared to confirm their son’s arrival that June. The engagement followed roughly two months later.
Serayah acknowledged that the end of the relationship was not what she had envisioned, but she appeared focused on what comes next.
“This chapter did not end the way I prayed it would,” she wrote. “But endings can also be beginnings.”
Joey Bada$$, who has a daughter from a previous relationship, has not publicly responded.