The Real Reason Regina King Got Divorced

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Ahead of the 72nd Emmy Awards, Regina King nabbed a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series. In addition to being up for the big award for her work on the HBO series Watchmen, the show itself snagged 26 nominations, per E! News. During E!'s Live from the Red Carpet ahead of the award show, the acting veteran told E! News' Nina Parker: "It feels good. It feels good when your peers give a nod to something that you're so passionate about ... It feels great." 

In light of social-distancing regulations amid the coronavirus pandemic, the nominees were asked to stay home, appearing virtually to accept their awards. It's quite possible that King will be enjoying the award ceremony with her son, Ian Alexander Jr., whose has been her date to a few red carpets over the years. Alexander Jr. is King's only child. She shares him with her ex-husband, actor Ian Alexander. The two tied the knot in 1997 before calling it quits 10 years later, per Refinery29. So why did the Oscar winner end her relationship? Keep scrolling to learn more. 

Regina King wanted to do right by her son

Most fans of Regina King probably know that she dated The Cosby Show star Malcolm-Jamal Warner from 2011 to 2013, per Pure Wow, but might forget that her relationship with Warner happened only four years after her divorce from actor and ex-husband Ian Alexander. In the past, King has touched on what went wrong in her marriage.

The Emmy award-winning actress contributed to the 2017 book He Never Came Home: Interviews, Stories, and Essays from Daughters on Life Without Their Fathers, which consisted of 22 personal essays from various girls and women. King wrote, in part (via Essence): "Because of our issues, [her son] Ian was becoming the kid whose parents were so disconnected that they couldn't even sit next to each other, let alone have a civilized conversation. I had been that kid once and it wasn't fun."

As of writing, King is reportedly single and too busy to date anyways. In a 2015 interview with Wendy Williams, she said, "I've been so busy with work and my girlfriends are like, 'Do you think a man is just gonna go knock on the door, like, 'I'm here!'?' And I think I wish he would, but I have to make that more of a priority."