Yandy Smith has no regrets about not making her marriage to her ex, Mendeecees, legally binding.
The two “Love & Hip Hop” stars were once considered one of the reality series’ most admired couples before Mendeecees was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2013.
But after Mendeecees’ 2020 homecoming, their perfect union slowly began to fall apart.
The two stopped seeing eye-to-eye, trust issues arose, and they seemed emotionally misaligned.
After years of ups and downs in their relationship, Smith confirmed during a February episode of “Love & Hip Hop” that the two had split. The revelation came months after it resurfaced that the couple had never legally married.
In a Oct. 26 interview on the “Social Proof” podcast, Smith explained why she didn’t want to legally bind herself to Mendeecees.
From the beginning, Smith was confident that she wanted to marry Mendeecees.
“From the minute I met, I was like, I am going to marry him. I loved I loved the way he walked, the way he talked, I loved the way his breath smelled, I loved his hair, I loved [laughter] his I loved everything about this man,” she said.
But after having a huge and luxurious wedding in 2015, which was aired on “Love and Hip Hop,” Mendeecees legal troubles was quickly catching up to him.
Shortly after their wedding, Mendeecees was sentenced to eight years in prison on drug trafficking charges after pleading guilty. Smith maintains that his criminal activity occurred before they began their relationship.
“I knew part of his sentencing was going to be restitution,” she said. “I work hard for everything that I have, you know, and I come from a place that I can’t go back to. And I also always knew that I’ll never go back to Grant Projects.”
After leaving the Harlem-based projects, Smith enrolled at Howard University in 2004. She later landed an internship at Violator, earning just $100 a week, before eventually launching her own management company. She also worked at Atlantic Records for three years, leaving in 2008 before joining the cast of “Love & Hip Hop.”
Smith said she also had to consider the restitution Mendeecees owed. He had two younger sons from previous relationships: Mendeecees Jr., 21, and Aasim Harris, 15.
The two eventually had their own children, Omere Harris, 13, and Skylar Harris, 11. Smith also adopted Infinity Gilyard, while Mendeecees was serving his prison sentence.
While Smith says she was going to love Mendeecees’ older children with all her soul, she was not willing to pay the kids’ mother’s child support while Mendeecees was away or help pay for their lifestyle.
“At that time, you know, I had properties. I’m a saver. I lived very modestly. I had a lot of cash on me, a lot of money in the bank, a lot of equity,” she said.
The 44-year-old claims she was “protecting the bag” for both her and Mendeecees. Because of her decision-making, they were able to purchase a house in Atlanta when he returned home.
Listing out the other ways they benefitted from Smith’s money decisions she said, “Every car that we’ve wanted, we drove it. Every house that we wanted, we purchased the exact house we wanted, paid for it. We purchased my dad a house. We purchased other property, paid for it cash, no mortgage.”
Smith said during their wedding, they made their commitment in front of 300 guests and God.
“That was enough vowing for me,” she said before later adding, “I did not want to be in business with the government and him. I wanted to be in business with him.”
Smith claims she personally knows people who have been trying to get divorced for a decade and have been struggling to get things finalized. She did not want that for herself.
Fans responded to Smith’s explanation online.
One person cheering on her choice said, “She didn’t want his debt to take her money. Smart move.”
Another person who agreed wrote, “Smart move Sis. It’s chess not checkers.”
But a third person found her reasoning skeptical.
They said, “You’re in business with the government everyday in your day to day life, but marriage is where y’all draw the line??”
In August 2025, rumors began circulating that Mendeecees was stepping out on Yandy. Speculation intensified after he was reportedly spotted getting cozy with Tamar Braxton at an Atlanta nightclub and later appeared as her love interest in the short film accompanying her project, “Heartbreak Retrograde.”
In December 2025, Mendeecees appeared on “Streetz Morning Takeover,” where he confirmed that he and Smith were no longer together. During the interview, he also revealed that despite their televised wedding, the two had never legally married.
Leave a Reply