Everything We Know About Serayah, Joey Bada$$ Shocking Breakup

On Monday, social media was set ablaze after “Empire” star Serayah McNeil announced the end of her engagement to rapper Joey Bada$$. But news of a shocking twist has folks on the internet divided. Let’s break it down.

If you didn’t know, McNeil and Joey made their coupling official in 2023 after meeting two years prior at a mutual friend’s birthday party. By February 2025, the pair’s relationship escalated to the point where they revealed they’d be welcoming a new bundle of joy together in the coming months.

Four months later, they revealed that McNeil had given birth to their baby boy, and weeks after that, they shared on Instagram that they were engaged. (This news was particularly surprising for fans of the rapper as he’d previously gone on the record to share that he was polyamorous and didn’t really believe in monogamy). But after posting a series of blissful pictures and Instagram stories, they quickly became one of social media’s favorite couples.

In the months following their engagement announcement, things went pretty quiet between the two. But all that changed near the end of August 2026 when the “Empire” star posted a lengthy statement to her Instagram, explaining that she and the “Paper Trails” rapper were no longer together. And believe us when we tell you, the reason is one that none of their fans saw coming.

Citing “repeated infidelity” throughout their relationship (including during “the most vulnerable and meaningful moments in her life”), McNeil shared that she was ending the engagement to the rapper, explaining that she’d come to a point where she finally had to choose herself.

“I share this not for sympathy, retaliation, or to publicly tear anyone down. I share it because too many women are taught to question themselves before they question what is happening right in front of them,” she wrote. “If your intuition is telling you something is wrong, listen to it. 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 of your worth. Love should not require you to abandon yourself.”

McNeil went on to say that she would refrain from speaking publicly about the end of their relationship out of respect for their son. But it looked as if she’d changed her mind shortly after making that post, as evidenced by a since-deleted Instagram post airing out her issues with the “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” star.

“A lot of people publicly know, family knows, and everything. But this person proposes to me, wants to build a life with me, has me move my life out here. Cheats on me, I find out, continuously is telling me that he doesn’t want that life, he wants me. Then proceeds—PROCEEDS—to be out with people,” she said. “And yes, I have my receipts; I have my f*cking receipts. But you guys will know who the f*ck this is, and I don’t want this to be a confusion any longer. There’s no podcast he can get on, sweet-talking the world. It’s over with.”

She also posted audio clips of what sounded like Bada$$ talking about the breakup with another woman.

Unfortunately for McNeil, as social media began to get wind of the breakup, not everyone was on her side.

“Serayah just wanted us to know that Joey was cheating on her, because that public announcement was unnecessary as hell,” wrote one user on X/Twitter.

“If I get cheated on, my next move would never be to tell the whole world. Always feel like ppl that do this are cutting off their nose to spite their face,” said another.

But some supporters showed empathy for her current circumstance and praised her for blasting her ex for his alleged infidelity.

“I’m happy Serayah announced her separation from joey badass publicly and mentioned there was repeated infidelity. These ni**as do not be good ppl. No need to keep their good image,” wrote someone on X/Twitter.

Added another, “People announce that they break up all the time, but it’s so fascinating that whenever it’s because of cheating, y’all start hollering that *she* should’ve kept it private.”

Said one other user: “Talking bout me as soon as I cut your ass off to another woman is exactly why she needed to air him out.”

The “Babylon” rapper has yet to publicly comment on the breakup.