Kandi Burruss-Tucker and Todd Tucker might have ended their marriage, but there’s still one thing that will always tie them together. What used to be a simple marker of “husband and wife” now carries identity, visibility, and legacy, turning the choice to share it with their four kids into a q uiet power play and a statement of family unity. Divorce didn’t erase the Tuckers’ shared last name—and it’s suddenly doing more work than ever. Once just a marital label, it now carries weight, identity, and optics, making their choice to keep it with their four kids a sharp signal of unity, control, and who shapes the family story. Kandi Burruss is keeping her ex-husband, Todd Tucker’s, last name after the divorce to stay connected to her children and move forward on her own terms. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images) ‘Mama Joyce So Happy’: Kandi Burruss Shares a Sweet Family Photo, But Todd’s Absence — and Mama Joyce’s Smile — Becomes the Only Thing Anyone Talks About The singer-turned-reality star broke down her reasoning to keep her hyphenated name after their divorce. “Because my little kids — they’re Ace Tucker and Blaze Tucker, right? And then I got Riley Burruss. So I still want them all to feel their mama is connected to them. So, yeah, I’m keeping it,” Kandi explained in a recent interview with Brooklyn Media while discussing life after the split. She made a clear distinction between how she uses her ex-husband’s last name, adding, “I don’t use that for any business or anything like that. It’s still Kandi Burruss as far as anything business is concerned. But, you know, when you come up to the school, if you want to still call me Tucker — just Tucker — yeah, that’s fine.” The Grammy winner’s explanation struck a nerve online. Some followers of the House of Hollywood Glam page seemed to understand what she meant after the clip was posted. But most were not that sentimental. One person asked, “What [does] the last name gotta do with it! Girl your kids gon be connected to you wit or without the last name!” Harsher comments demanded that Kandi give up Todd’s last name, pointing to her daughter from a previous relationship. “Get rid of that name. You they momma they will always be connected. If anything, hyphenate their name. Riley doesn’t have her daddy’s name. What if he got married again? I wouldn’t want to share his last name with his new wife. Let that chapter go.” Burruss was already a central figure on the show when she met Todd Tucker in 2011 while filming the fourth season of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” according to People. Tucker and Burruss were engaged by January 2013, married in 2014 and spent 11 years together. Both had daughters from previous relationships—Riley Burruss, 23, and Kaela Tucker, 29—and shared two children, Ace and Blaze. The divorce was finalized on March 24, with Burruss paying Todd a $426,000 lump sum, according to TMZ. But their breakup is still hitting fans hard. However, Burruss’ decision to keep the last name of her ex-husband and her two youngest children is not new or unheard of. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Atlanta Black Star (@atlblackstar) Crystal Renay Smith, ex-wife of RB singer Ne-Yo, born Shaffer Chimere Smith, filed for divorce just four months after they renewed their vows in 2023. They share three children, but it wasn’t until much later that she learned he fathered two kids outside of their marriage. Still, she has no regrets about keeping her ex-husband’s maiden name for her kids. “My ex-husband is not known for Smith, you know what I’m saying, so it’s not such a crazy thing and to him, he says that he’s never getting married again so I don’t have to worry about sharing my last name with anybody else,” Crystal shared on “The Culture Club Uncensored” in 2024. However, she may rethink it if she chooses to get married again, adding, “But for now my children’s name and my last name are the same and that is how it will remain. I work hard, I put in work baby, 10 years.” R. Kelly’s ex-wife, Drea Kelly, has a similar answer, suggesting that people should be more concerned with what she’s doing with the last name than holding on to it. “I paid for this name in blood, sweat, and tears,” she told host Osei on the same podcast. “Literally like after watching ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It,” because I was in the midst of it and coming out of it and I understood why she said, ‘you can have everything but I’m keeping this name.” Drea said people in society should not care, but they do because “you would not be on my social media and care who I was if I didn’t have the last name.” @atlblackstar Drea Kelly stopped by The Culture Club Uncensored and let the haters know she’s not dropping that last name anytime soon. Watch the full episode available NOW on our Youtube channel linked in our bio! ♬ original sound – Atlanta Black Star Her “earned it” motto echoes Nicole Murphy, the ex-wife of comedian Eddie Murphy. They welcomed five children during their 12-year marriage and divorced in 2005. “Listen, I was married to that man for years, OK. I earned my name. I deserve my name. I have five children with that name. I didn’t see any harm in keeping my last name. It doesn’t matter,” Nicole told Comedy Hype in a 2024 interview. She noted that she had no desire to return to her maiden name, Mitchell. Usher’s ex-wife, Tameka Raymond, also expressed frustration with returning to her maiden name and having to change over her ID, credit cards, bills, passports, etc. “It’s just simpler, in terms of the school, when the kids call, ‘Mrs. Raymond, it just goes together with my children,” she easily explained. “I’m the same way,” added Torrei Hart, ex-wife of Kevin Hart. She went on, noting how much work she put in during her 10-year marriage to the fellow comedian. “I was driving to shows five days a week. I was doing a lot behind the scenes that people don’t know. So I feel like, why should I change anything? I don’t feel like it. It’s what it’s going to be.” Torrei refuses to return her maiden name, adding, “Skipper is just a weird last name, I’m not going back.” Actors, musicians, and entrepreneurs such as Faith Hill, Kris Jenner, Susan Sarandon, and Melinda Gates, Demi Moore, and Camille Grammer, all kept their ex-husbands’ last names after divorce for personal, professional, or familial reasons. For some women, keeping the man’s last name in hers is not about clinging to a marriage that ended. It is about keeping a connection intact for the children who still carry that name, and showing that family identity does not always vanish when the romance does. Kandi Burruss Holds On to ‘Tucker’ After Divorce and the Backlash Is Raising a Bigger Question: Why is Letting Go Expected, But Keeping It Questioned? ...read more read less