Who was interested first? Who said, “I love you,” first? Who does more cleaning? Who spends the most money? Who’s most likely to start an argument?
Back in November 2019, we posted about Jordin Sparks and her husband, Dana Isaiah Thomas. At the time, we saw their relationship as a love story. But as time has passed, it seems their marriage has turned into a hot mess. Today, we’re going to talk about all the red flags that have been popping up.
To give you more background on this story, let’s go back to 2007 when Jordin became the youngest American Idol winner ever. As she stepped into the spotlight, her private life became public. Jordin was open about wearing a purity ring and her decision to wait until marriage to be intimate.
In 2011, 22-year-old Jordan started dating fellow singer Jason Derulo, who was also 22. A year into their relationship, Jordan decided to let go of her purity ring. On the Today Show, she explained that while she initially believed waiting until marriage was a good idea, she acknowledged, “I can’t say what’s going to happen a couple of months from now. People grow.”
Their passion for each other was undeniable. After three years of dating, they had a minor argument just before Jordan was leaving for a trip. She apologized, thinking everything was fine. Jason helped her to her car, kissed her, told her he loved her, and then never called her again. People magazine reported that Jason celebrated his newfound freedom with a boys’ night out with Ashton Kutcher, Jamie Foxx, Robin Thicke, and Diddy. Meanwhile, Jordan was tweeting, “I just wrote the saddest song of my life.” Girl, if you don’t pick yourself up, put on your best dress, and move on!
Jason later told The Breakfast Club that Jordan was pressuring him to get married, and their frequent arguments prompted him to end things. Jason moved on and later had a child with Jenna Frumes. Reflecting on the breakup, Jordan shared with Angela Yee that the relationship taught her to take things slower. She said, “Let’s get to know each other first, and then we’ll decide if we want to make a commitment or just be boyfriend and girlfriend.”
Eight months later, in May 2015, she announced she had moved on with Sage The Gemini. A year later, it was all over when Sage’s ex-girlfriend leaked an audio conversation. In the recording, Sage admitted his relationship with Jordan was a publicity stunt. “Everything was horrible,” he said. “She got on my nerves. I want to stab her. Don’t get me wrong, like, she’s cool, she’s levelheaded, whatever, but you know, she’s not a regular person. You know it was fake or whatever, but Jordan gave me $70,000 to put down on his house. Ever, you know. So, of course, she’s been here, but I’m like, we can’t do nothing. Like, I say a joke, and she don’t laugh, and I’m like, I know I’m funny.”
Oh, poor JJ. So, yeah, Jordan was striking out left and right in the dating department. From there, she decided to try something new. She chose to love herself first, and in January 2017, she committed to a life of celibacy. The following month, she was in Houston with her mom, Jodi, for a charity event. While there, Jodi met the woman running the charity, and they hit it off. A month later, the woman asked Jodi if Jordan would talk to her son, Dana, and dissuade him from moving to Los Angeles to pursue a modeling career. Since Jordan lived in Los Angeles and knew the industry well, she agreed.
Jordan told The Knot website that she was added to a group chat with her mom, the woman, and Dana. After texting daily for a month, Dana flew to Los Angeles for an agency meeting and met Jordan in person. She told ET Online that things moved quickly, and by the second day, she knew he was her future husband. What happened to taking things slow, Jordan? Slow down, I just want to get to know you.
This pattern is recurring in Jordan’s life: she tends to fall for people quickly and jumps in without really getting to know her partners and their intentions. Nevertheless, she and Dana started their own chat to get to know each other better. They bonded over their tight-knit families and shared Christian faith. They also agreed not to move in together until they were married. Slow down, Jordan, damn. She told People magazine that on their first road trip, Dana impressed her with his musical transitions. “I really appreciated how he was able to transition from one song to the next,” she said. That’s all it took, huh? Being a car DJ? Alright then.
Three months after meeting, Jordan, Dana, and their friends took a trip to Hawaii to enjoy some fun in the sun. Jordan mentioned that they hadn’t made any concrete plans about getting married but were open to the idea during the trip. They went out into the ocean with Jordan’s friend, Morgan, who happened to be an ordained minister. Out of the blue, Jordan turned to Morgan and said, “Why don’t you do it right now?” And just like that, 27-year-old Jordan and 25-year-old Dana got married on the spot, with Jordan wearing a two-piece swimsuit and a flamingo floaty around her waist.
No ring, no prenup—what a mess. She was just acting on impulse, not thinking straight. If she had stuck to her celibacy and Christian values, maybe she would have thought more clearly. With millions at stake, she should have considered a prenup and some legal advice.
In a social media post, Jordan revealed they had planned to wait two years before starting a family. However, just four months after their July 2017 wedding, Jordan told People magazine they were expecting a baby. Dana said, “Forget waiting two years; I’m securing my future now.” The first few months of her pregnancy were tough, filled with tears and anxiety.
Sadly, things got even worse. In January 2018, she lost her stepsister, Ben Jackson, to sickle cell anemia, and within a week, her cousin, Q, also passed away. She also mourned the deaths of fellow American Idol contestant Leah LaBelle and her boyfriend, former NBA player Rasual Butler, who died in a car accident. Amidst the grief, Jordan was also trying to figure out life as a newlywed. She told InTouch Magazine that both she and Dana were type A personalities, which made it hard for them to get comfortable living together.
“That’s what you get! Nobody told you to run off and marry a man you hardly knew! Jordan Sparks and her husband decided to share their pregnancy journey in the Lifetime special ‘Jordan Sparks: A Baby Story.’ The show also revealed some major troubles in their marriage. Jordan’s mom, Jodi, wasn’t happy about how quickly Jordan and Dana got married. She said Dana barely spoke to her and accused him of keeping Jordan isolated from her family. Jodi said, ‘She’s holed up here, and she’s with you, the guy who doesn’t talk.’
Things got tense. Dana told Jordan’s mom he didn’t put any effort into getting to know her because he felt like Jordan’s family hadn’t embraced him. Because of that, he stopped caring about being accepted by them. He said, ‘I have a really cold shoulder, so when I see that, I move on. I don’t give a damn.’
A Cambridge University psychologist says that three out of four couples experience significant conflict with their in-laws. When a spouse has a problem with a parent-in-law, it’s the couple’s problem to deal with, and they need to approach the conflict together. In Jordan and Dana’s case, there seemed to be a disconnect, with Jordan caught in the middle.
Jordan gave birth to their son, DJ, in May 2018. By November 2019, all hell broke loose. Dana posted a photo of himself with a woman with her arm draped over his shoulder. The woman was a childhood friend, and Dana thanked her for getting him out of the house past 10:30. Many saw this as disrespectful for a married man with a young child. Jordan commented on the post, ‘Aw, I love you both. She’s such a treasure.’ But online users weren’t having it. They thought it was inappropriate for Dana to let another woman have her hands all over him. People also noticed that Jordan wasn’t with Dana during the outing.
Jordan jumped back into the comments section, writing, ‘If your significant other is making you cut off your really good, stand-up, been-there-since-forever friends, male or female, get out.’ Dana defended himself by writing, ‘And that’s why a lot of people end up in crappy relationships. Y’all don’t let your man have friends or a life.'”
All signs pointed to trouble between Jordan and Dana in March 2020 when Dana shared a tweet that read, “You can’t force someone to stay married to you, especially after you make them look like a fool publicly twice. God ain’t in that.” The internet went wild after his post. Dana then tried to clarify things by tweeting, “Trust me when I say this, if my wife and I were having issues, none of y’all would know. LOL.”
Some couples struggled during quarantine, but Jordan told People magazine that the pandemic actually strengthened her marriage. She said, “I know in my bones that he’s the person I’m supposed to be with.” She also mentioned they started working on music together and hired Dana as her manager.
However, many people, including Auntie Regina, were skeptical. They pointed out that many female celebrities who hired their husbands as managers ended up regretting it, citing examples like Kelly Clarkson and Mary J. Blige. Fans questioned Dana’s qualifications for the job since he didn’t seem to have a solid career before Jordan hired him.
Jordan responded by telling People magazine, “We work really well together and have a bond that nobody can take away. I’m just really, really grateful to have him by my side.” But this answer didn’t satisfy everyone. Critics argued that while Dana could be supportive, Jordan still needed a qualified manager. It felt like Dana needed a job title to boost his ego rather than focusing on what was best for Jordan’s career.
Jordan went independent and dropped her fourth studio album, “Cider and Hennessy,” in 2020. Unfortunately, it didn’t make the charts, raising questions about her new manager’s skills. On her birthday in 2023, Dana posted a picture of Jordan getting his name tattooed on her thigh with the caption, “Tap my name on you so I know it’s real.” They’re already married, so isn’t that real enough? What’s he talking about? When fans criticized Jordan’s new tattoo, Dana fired back in the comments, “I’ve had her name tattooed on me for five years, so all this, ‘Oh my God, it’s her birthday, and she got his name tatted. Don’t lose yourself, sis.’ Worry about yourself. We’re good over here.”
Oh, he’s got some sass, huh? He’s an angry little thing, isn’t he? Many people believe these types of tattoos spell doom for a relationship. A tattoo artist told Rally magazine that couples have gotten smarter over the years, and the demand for matching tattoos or a significant other’s name has dropped drastically. Despite this, Jordan and Dana are still going strong as of this video. They have no immediate plans for more children. Jordan told US Weekly it’s tough enough to divide her attention between her husband and son, so she doesn’t think she’d have time for herself if they had another child.
Even though some people think Jordan moved too fast in her relationship, she’s convinced Dana is the one. She told People magazine, “When I’m with him, I feel comfort and safety and calm and peace, and those aren’t things that I usually feel.”