It’s over. Taraji P. Henson confirmed that she and her fiancé, Kelvin Hayden, have called it quits after their May 2018 engagement.
The Empire actress, 50, opened up about her relationship during the Monday, October 19, episode of The Breakfast Club. The former couple had sparked rumors of a split earlier this year when Hayden, 37, was nowhere to be seen at Henson’s 50th birthday bash in Mexico.
“I’m dedicated to the Black man, y’all. I just turned 50 and I mean, I hadn’t said it yet, but it didn’t work out,” the Hidden Figures star said on Monday. “I tried. I was, like, ‘Therapy. Let’s do the therapy thing.’ But if you’re both not on the same page with that then you feel like, you’re taking it on yourself, and that’s not a fair position for anybody to play in a relationship.”
Eventually, Henson realized that she and the former NFL athlete had to work on making “ourselves happy to make each other happy” instead of relying on the other person in the relationship for their own happiness.
“My happiness is not his responsibility,” she said. “When one person is taking on the weight of the entire relationship, it’s never gonna work. … You have to still stand up for yourself and be there for yourself, but it’s hard to do if the other person isn’t doing that part either.”
Henson and the former NFL athlete announced their engagement in May 2018 and were set to tie the knot in June. Two months before their wedding day, the duo revealed that they had postponed their big day as an extra safety precaution amid the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, the What Men Want actress hoped that she would be able to exchange vows with Hayden by the end of the year.
“We have to see what this will be like at the other end,” she told Extra in March. “Our grandparents, my grandmother is about to turn 96, his is 86, how do we get them to the wedding now? Now, we are concerned, just trying to figure out the safest and best way.”
Shortly after confirming her engagement, the Emmy nominee told Us Weekly exclusively that she was excited to plan a “small, intimate” celebration with her closest family and friends.
“I’m marrying my best friend,” she gushed in September 2018. “I know that’s cliché, but it’s the truth.”
