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Kenya Barris is ending her marriage to ex-wife Dr. Rania “Rainbow” Barris after being together for more than 20 years, PEOPLE has confirmed.
The blackish The designer filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court on June 1, citing “irreconcilable differences,” according to a court document obtained by PEOPLE.
The legal documents also noted that the couple, who share six children, including four minors – Lola, 16, Beau, 14, Kass, 12, and Bronx, 5 – have been separated since September 2020. In addition to requesting the joint and legal custody of their children, Kenya also indicated that spousal support will be paid to her ex, according to the document.
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It’s not the first time the couple have decided to legally break up their marriage – Rania, 47, first filed for divorce in 2014 but withdrew her request less than a year later after the couple reconciled. duo, according to the Associated Press.
The outlet also reported that Kenya, 47, filed for divorce in 2019 but later called it off.
The Barrises married in 1999. Their romance inspired the ABC sitcom’s central relationship, earning Emmy nominations for actors Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross as Andre “Dre” Johnson and Rainbow. “Bow” Johnson.
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Notably, blackishThe season 4 finale seemed to be inspired by the couple’s real-life experience as it showed Dre and Bow’s marital struggles.
In a 2018 interview with Weekly entertainmentRania said she told her husband, “I think you owe it to your viewers to show this.”
She added: “Because so many stories are very exact situations in our lives, Kenya can’t help but as a writer make Bow’s character more important. [and] important.”
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Kenya also spoke about the marriage issues his characters face, saying he wanted to portray real-life situations on screen.
“When I was little, I never saw couples arguing on the family sitcoms I loved to watch,” he said. EO in 2018.
“Afterwards, when difficult times came up in my own relationship, I was unprepared and felt so isolated and alone,” he continued. “The marital issues were not part of the narrative the TV told me was a ‘working relationship’.”
Kenya is also a producer of the sitcom spin-off adult and was a writer on the 2017 film Girls trip.
Its representatives did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.