It seems that it’s over between Grammy-winning rapper Chance Bennett, known as Chance the Rapper, and his wife of five years, Kirsten Corley. She took to social media on April 3 to share in her Instagram Stories that they were ending their marriage. Corley did so with what looked to be a joint statement.
“After a period of separation, the two of us have arrived at the decision to part ways,” the message stated, adding that they came to the decision “amicably” and were grateful for the years they’d spent together.
“God has blessed us with two beautiful daughters who we will continue to raise together. We kindly ask for privacy and respect as we navigate this transition,” the statement concluded.
The couple, who wed in a civil ceremony in December of 2018, and again in a white wedding in March of 2019, have been together for some time. They met as children and connected as young adults before falling in love and starting a family.
After marrying, all seemed, from the outside in, fine between the Bennetts, but they did reach a public bump in the road last year. The star was captured on video enjoying himself at Carnival in Jamaica, and went viral for allowing a woman to dance on him, whose behind he slapped. No one but the couple can say if that situation, and the feelings it may have brought about, contributed to the demise of their marriage, but it seems that they’re both of the understanding that they’d be best as co-parents and not husband and wife.
We’re sad to see them split up, especially after such a sweet love story. Take a look at their relationship timeline below and see their journey, from start to finish.
Long before the fame, a young Chance Bennett met a young Kirsten Corley at a wholesome party held by the real estate company his mom worked at for employees and their families. “I was probably playing a Gameboy in a corner or eating candy, initially unimpressed by my surroundings,” the rapper wrote about their beginnings on social media years ago. “But THEN…out of nowhere, we were all told to make room, to spread out and make a circle for a presentation.” Corley and a few other girls came out to put on a performance, lip-synching to Destiny’s Child “Independent Women.” He was taken with her. “Now I’m locking eyes with the prettiest girl I ever seen in my almost-a-decade of life on Earth. I really shouldn’t even say locked eyes cause really, I was just staring at her.” The two, being young, didn’t connect then.
Almost 10 years later, in 2012, they saw each other again at South by Southwest festival and “eventually when back in Chicago we connected the dots.”
After reconnecting and beginning a relationship, the couple welcomed their first child. Daughter Kensli Bennett was born on Sept. 20, 2015. She is her daddy’s child, stealing the rapper’s whole face in the cutest way.
Remember when social media challenges first became a thing? If so, you’ll probably recall the #SoGoneChallenge, where people would rap over Monica’s hit song, “So Gone.” Bennett had one of the best ones, if not the absolute best take on the challenge, as he rapped about Corley before showing her at the very end of the recorded rhyme. He noted that “I got the baddest chick on the planet,” and that “The only chick I hold as much is probably Kensli.”
The couple have been through some big ups and downs in the past. After welcoming Kensli, Bennett and Corley ended up breaking up for a time, and when they did, so began a custody and child support battle. The two, through court, would reach an agreement in the best interests of their daughter. Soon after, they ended up reuniting.
He popped the question to Corley during a Fourth of July barbecue, making it clear that he was ready to settle down. In front of friends and family, he asked the beauty, “Will you make me a man and be my wife?” She, of course, said yes, to the excitement of their loved ones, including daughter Kensli.
The year 2019 was a big one for their family. The two married in March of 2019 in a big celebration of love in Newport Beach, Calif. (they actually wed, officially, a few months prior in December 2018 in Chicago). That same year, he put out his second album, The Big Day, inspired by their marriage. To cap it all off, they welcomed their second child, daughter Marli, in the summer.
In an Instagram post in 2020, which was a time as we all know, Corley talked about the realities of married life. “Marriage is difficult. It would be irresponsible to say otherwise, or give y’all the impression that it’s a walk in the park,” she wrote. “It forces you to confront a lot of parts of yourself you didn’t know were there, especially in this season of being home way more than we’re used to. … But I believe it is worth it, when you both commit to doing the inner work.”
In April of 2023, the rapper took to Jamaica to enjoy their Carnival celebrations, and while there, he did as the locals do; that included letting a woman grind on him as he suggestively slapped her backside while holding on to his drink. The Internet was divided about the appropriateness of the moment, and the couple ended up sharing cryptic messages (a Maya Angelou quote and a clip about marriage from comedian Bill Burr’s standup) to share their feelings on the matter.
In April 2024, Corley revealed that the two had been separated and made the decision to divorce. As she stated, “We came to this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together.”
