Mary J. Blige is rumored to be dating “Straight Out of Compton” star Jason Mitchell.
Still in the midst of a nasty divorce from soon to be ex-husband and manager Kendu Isaacs, several media outlets have reported the sultry singer recently took up with the much younger Mitchell, who starred as rap legend Easy E in the box office smash hit film about legendary rap group Public Enemy.
The 46-year-old singer and the 30-year-old actor met on the set of the film MudBud in early 2016. The two are said to have grown closer over the summer after connecting at the Essence Music Festival but have largely kept their relationship under wraps as Blige’s divorce proceedings play out.
Blige recently opened up about he split from Isaacs during an appearance on Good Morning America , where she assured interviewers “my heart is OK.”
She and Isaacs were married for 12 years, with Blige adding that her breaking point came as she internalized the feeling that she always somehow felt disrespected.
“And it just seemed like I was beating a dead horse and it seemed like I was talking to a wall,” she added.
“I just wasn’t getting it back so if I can’t get respect in the relationship, then I have to move on and save myself. That was the point where I was like, ‘I’m done. I just can’t do it anymore.’”
As the proceedings have begun to play out, Isaacs has requested a staggering $129,000 a month is spousal support, even though the couple had no children during their time together.
“My message to those women that are going through the same thing that I’m going through or a similar situation is that you cannot rely on people to handle your business,” Blige said.
“You have to handle your business. You have to take responsibility and stay on top of it because things like this will happen if you don’t.”
Revered for penning a who’s who list of hit songs about heartbreak, Blige admitted that her music has proven cathartic for her through all her recent struggles.
“It’s been so healthy for me because this is where I bring all my pain,” she said.
“I bring it to the stage… and my fans are there. They come to the show with all of their issues or trials and tribulations and this is where we’re healing.”
Blige recently celebrated her 46 th birthday by attending the Sundance Film Festival, where Mitchell was also in attendance.
While there, she was spied partying at an event where she presented with a cake that read “Happy Birthday, Queen.”
At Sundance, Blige also made it a point of keeping abreast of what was happening here in the States, namely the goings on with newly sworn in President Donald Trump.
“I just really can’t support this,” she said of Trump.
“He speaks about women viciously and he’s just… racist. It makes me emotional, I haven’t been this emotional all day.”
During election season, Blige openly supported Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, at one point sitting down for an interview with her where the two focused on the issue of police brutality.
More recently, she took note of the massive Women’s March demonstrations held across the country, including the largest which was held a day after the new president’s official inauguration.
“My hopes are that this brings us together as people, period,” she said.
“Not as black people… but as people, and [understanding] that the only thing that’s going to make anything change is for us to love each other.”
[Featured Image by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images]