Building a Life and a Business Together Is Easy—Unbuilding It Isn’t

For a regular W-2 employee, your paycheck is community property (where that applies) meaning whatever you make during the marriage you are splitting that baby come divorce time. What happens when you've co-founded several restaurants, produced Broadway shows, and launched podcasts together?

Kandi from Xscape fame parlayed her singing and writing into Bedroom Kandi, a substantial music catalog, properties, and stores. Todd Tucker walked in as a successful TV producer but less financially established. The prenup that followed became reality TV drama and social media exploded. Not because prenups are unusual among the wealthy, but because a woman was the one holding the pen. Why are we often only uncomfortable with prenups when women are the ones protecting their assets?

The Terms:

• Kandi's position: "I refuse to pay spousal support"

• What she wanted to protect: everything she built before marriage

• What she'd share: anything they built together during marriage

• Todd's resistance: signing the night before the wedding

Well he signed and over 11 years of marriage, Kandi and Todd didn't just build a life—they built an empire together:

• Old Lady Gang (multiple restaurant locations, including one in State Farm Arena)

• Blaze Steak & Seafood (named after their daughter)

• Broadway productions: Thoughts of a Colored Man (2021), The Piano Lesson revival (2022)

• Film production: Multiple movies including The Pass, Don't Bring Your Man to Atlanta, and The Pass 2

• Kandi Koated Live podcast (Todd serves as executive producer)

• Planned ventures: Mexican restaurant, Ace's Pizza

• T Tucker Productions and Kandi Koated Entertainment (their production companies)

The prenup that protected Kandi's pre-marital assets, currently being challenged,  doesn't untangle a decade of joint ventures. This is the complexity aspiring entrepreneurs need to understand: The more successful you are together, the harder it becomes to unwind assets, labor contributions, IP, and operational roles, prenup or no prenup.

5 Reasons Courts Throw Out Prenups (And How to Avoid Them)

Prenups aren’t bulletproof.

• Courts can and do throw out prenups. The five key reasons::

1. Lack of full disclosure

How to avoid: Make sure both partners exchange full financial statements, yes including businesses, investments, intellectual property, debts, and future income streams and document them clearly before signing.

1. Unfair/unconscionable terms

How to avoid: Ensure the agreement is reasonably balanced. Even if one party starts wealthier, build in protections for both, especially if children, spousal support, or changing business dynamics are possible.

1. Signing Under Duress, Pressure, or Last-Minute Rush

How to avoid: Present and negotiate the prenup well in advance, which Kandi did not do,  so both parties have ample time to consider, negotiate, and consult attorneys without wedding stress influencing the decision.

1. No chance for independent legal counsel

How to avoid: Each spouse should have their own attorney review the prenup independently. Document that legal review and ensure both parties sign only after full understanding.

1. Poor Drafting or Faulty Legal Formalities

How to avoid: Use an experienced family-law attorney to draft the agreement properly. Stick to financial and property division. Avoid provisions about child custody, child support, behavior, or other non-financial personal matters. Ensure notarization and compliance with state-specific formal requirements.

Case in point: In November 2025, Kandi filed for divorce from Todd after 11 years of marriage. Todd's legal response challenges the prenup's validity, claiming he signed it immediately before their wedding ceremony without his legal team present, after months of negotiations. He's now seeking primary custody of their children and potential alimony if the prenup is deemed unenforceable.

This is exactly the scenario Kandi wanted to avoid—and it's happening anyway.

What People Who Skip Prenups Learn Too Late

Celebrities Who Regret Not Having Prenups:

• Kim Kardashian: Lost millions in her divorce from Kris Humphries

• Niecy Nash: Had to negotiate splits without clear protection

• Rachel Lindsay (The Bachelorette): Publicly discussed regretting not having clearer financial boundaries

The pattern? Everyone who could have used a prenup wishes they'd had one. Everyone who has one wishes it were stronger.

The Real Questions Behind Every Prenup Debate:

1. Autonomy vs. Unity: Can you be fully merged in marriage while maintaining financial independence?

2. Equity vs. Equality: Should divorce settlements be 50/50, or proportional to what each person brought in?

3. Protection vs. Trust: Is protecting your assets a sign of distrust, or just good planning?

The Three Conversations Every Wealth-Building Couple Must Have

Before you say "I do," discuss:

1. What's yours, mine, and ours? Be specific. List every asset, business, property, and intellectual property. If you wrote a song in 2018, is your spouse entitled to royalties from it in 2028?

2. What are we building together vs. separately? Kandi and Todd co-produced Broadway shows and opened restaurants together—that's joint ownership. But Bedroom Kandi? That was always hers. Define the boundaries before you're standing in divorce court.

3. What happens if we don't make it? Not romantic, but necessary. How will you split the restaurants? Who keeps the production companies? Will the podcast continue, or does someone buy the other out?

These aren't trust issues. They're the same questions you'd ask before starting a business with anyone and marriage is the biggest business deal of your life.

What Kandi and Todd's Divorce Teaches Entrepreneurs About Marriage

For entrepreneurs, the takeaway isn't "avoid building with your spouse." It's structure it thoughtfully from the beginning.

Marriage is a merger of two entities. Like any merger, you wouldn't merge two companies without an operating agreement. You wouldn't launch a startup with a 50/50 equity split without understanding the terms. So why would you merge your entire financial life with another person, someone you'll share a home with, build businesses with, raise children with, without documenting what's fair?

Separate operating agreements, clear ownership allocations, compensation structures, and well-documented roles matter. These aren't about pessimism. They're about governance. Even the healthiest marriages benefit from clear business scaffolding, because clarity creates fairness long before conflict ever appears.

And if your relationship can't handle this conversation, you have bigger problems than a prenup friend.

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Kandi and Todd are currently navigating their divorce with a focus on co-parenting their two children, Ace and Blaze. Despite the legal complexities, they spent Thanksgiving together as a family and attended their daughter's birthday party together—proving that financial boundaries don't have to mean personal animosity.