“I Lost Everything”: Tisha Campbell Tearfully Reveals Being Completely Broke with Only $7 To Her Name After Divorce from Duane Martin, Says She Had to Start Over

Duane Martin and Tisha Campbell were happily wed in 1996 but called it quits in 2016 after 2 decades of marriage. Part of the reason could have been money, with the pair also claiming Chapter 7 bankruptcy that year. While there was a statement from Campbell-Martin at the time requesting privacy, there was no causes ever revealed of why the pair ended their marriage.

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A post shared by Tisha Campbell (@tishacampbellmartin)

Campbell is a successful actress, musician and performer, having been a child star turned in-demand Hollywood comedic actress. Even with her lengthy resume, she’s largely kept herself and family out of the spotlight, until the divorce happened. Her and Martin were noted friends with Will and Jada Smith, and when news of their “entanglement” leaked earlier, somehow Tisha was dragged into it.

Duane Martin was best friends with Will and the two have been inseparable over the years. It’s the openly discussed nature of Will and Jada’s marriage and that it’s on their own terms that caused others to maybe wonder if the two best friends were more than that. Blame it on August Alsina, who fanned the flames of the “open relationship” fire by mentioning it in his interview with Angela Yee. His now-verified claims of a relationship with Jada, with Will’s “permission” (hence debunked), sent the internet rumor mill into overtime.

“I don’t DO sub-tweets…” #TishaCampbell seemingly addresses speculation that her cryptic post was in response to the Jada Pinkett-Smith controversy. pic.twitter.com/FfkY7SCItC

— theJasmineBRAND (@thejasminebrand) July 1, 2020

Tisha, normally quiet, posted to Instagram Stories that she wasn’t about to be caught up in anything that didn’t affect her directly. “I don’t do subtweets. I don’t do messy. It’s not ya girl, sorry! Don’t be pulling me into no mess, I don’t have the time,” she said. Tisha’s still working in television, with her resume continuing to tack on credits even during the pandemic. Going into 2021, it was announced that Campbell was cast in Fox comedy Outmatched, and will play Rita, a mother of three who works as a casino pit boss. She’s also been in 2018 film Blindspotting and had a recurring run on the hit show Empire, using her Broadway talents and music experience to play the character of a diva.

Speaking of her TV career, many fans know Campbell from her iconic role on TV’s ever-loved Black sitcom, Martin, in which she starred alongside Martin Lawrence and Tichina Arnold. The hit show fell to pieces in later seasons but recently Campbell shared that she’s had the chance to re-connect with Lawrence since her divorce, increasing fans’ hopes for a reunion of some sort.

Even with all that success, Campbell’s divorce left her having to start over with 2 children and $7 to do it.“No one knows that, but I had nothing. Nothing in the bank, nothing. I had maybe seven dollars to my name,” she said in an interview recently. “And I was scared. It was like I was starting all over.” 19-year-old Xen and 11-year-old Ezekiel made the transition much easier for Campbell, who gave good advice to those who may find themselves in a position like hers one day. “Starting over is not always the easiest thing, but it’s a necessary thing, and it’s a beautiful devastation.”