Kenya Barris and Dr. Rania “Rainbow” Barris have called it quits after more than 20 years of marriage– again.
According to People Magazine, the Black-ish creator filed for divorce from his estranged wife in Los Angeles Superior Court on June 1, citing “irreconcilable differences.”
The couple shares six children: two adult daughters, Kaleigh and Leyah, and minors — Lola, 16; Beau, 14; Kass, 12; and Bronx, 5. In addition to requesting legal and joint custody of the kids, Barris also stated that his ex-wife would receive spousal support, the legal paperwork said.
This isn’t the first time the pair suggested ending their marriage. Rania, 47, filed for divorce from the film writer in 2014, but she later rescinded her request after the two reconciled, the Associated Press reported.
Barris, 47, also filed for divorce in 2019 and later called it off.
The Barris’ wed in 1999. The ABC hit sitcom Black-ish with Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross as Andre “Dre” Johnson, and Rainbow “Bow” Johnson was loosely based on the couple’s life.
Aside from showing real-life issues that many African American families have experienced, Barris also used characters Bow and Dre to address marital problems in the season four finale of the series.
“In a 2018 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Rania said she told her husband, “I think you owe it to your viewers to show this.” “
She added, “Because so many of the stories are situations very exact to our life, Kenya cannot help as a writer but to make the character of Bow more prominent [and] important.”
Barris also discussed the character’s marital issues, saying he wanted the storylines to be relatable to viewers watching the show.
“When I was growing up, I never saw couples fight on the family sitcoms I loved to watch,” he told the outlet in 2018.
“Subsequently, when tough times arose in my own relationship, I wasn’t prepared and felt so isolated and alone,” he continued. “Marital issues weren’t a part of the narrative that television told me was a ‘working relationship.'”
Barris is currently a producer for the sitcom’s spin-off Grown-ish. He was also a writer for the 2017 film Girls Trip.
