Marques Houston, 38, does not want a wife who is a single mother or someone who is considered independent, which explains why he married a teenager.

The singer and actor’s age difference with his then-19-year-old girlfriend and now-early 20s wife is a topic of conversation.

In an interview with Page Six, Houston highlights two explanations for why he is with a woman nearly twice his age: women with children are a “red flag” and independent women are too progressive for him.

“A red flag to me [was] always with a woman that had a kid,” Houston said. “Nothing against single women, but single mothers with children are a red flag for me.”

“I would talk to my dad a lot, and he would always tell me to have your own kids because you never know what the baby daddy‘s are about,” Houston continued. “So if you’re gonna have kids, make sure it is with a woman that never had kids. So that was always my red flag… and a woman with an attitude. I don’t like women with funky attitudes.”

In addition to funky single mothers, independent women, assuming that he is referring to a woman who is self-sufficient and does not rely on others for her well-being or happiness, is a no-no for the former Immature child star.

“Women that are my age… they kind of have a different outlook on life. Like a lot of women my age are very independent. They are very like, ‘I don’t need a man to do this for me ’cause I can do it for myself.’ I come from a generation that I love to provide for my wife.”

In 2020, during the pandemic, Houston married a young woman by the name of Dickey, a friend of the daughter of Chris Stokes, a record producer and director of several music videos for popular artists like Destiny’s Child, Brandy, and Omarion, CNN reported.