Did Keegan-Michael Key's Divorce Cause His Ex-Wife Cynthia Blaise To Have Severe Health Issues?
Highlights
- Keegan-Michael Key's divorce from Cynthia Blaise was finalized shortly before he announced his engagement to his new partner, Elle Pugliese.
- Blaise suffered significant physical and mental health issues during the divorce process, including hair loss, weight loss, severe depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
- Key and Pugliese have a strong bond, with Pugliese directing and producing a podcast hosted by Key and helping him pick out his clothes. Their podcast won an award for Best Writing at the 2022 Webby Awards.
After rising to fame alongside Jordan Peele, Keegan-Michael Key has become one of Hollywood's most dependable performers. Seemingly hired for every animated movie with celebrity voices these days, Key is such a multifaceted performer that he even did great when he was a guest on Whose Line Is It Anyway?.
After years of making people laugh and smile, fans associate Key with having a good time. Sadly for Key's ex-wife Cynthia Blaise, however, her relationship with him eventually was very damaging as her health suffered after he filed for divorce.
How Did Keegan-Michael Key's Ex-Wife Take Their Divorce?
Years before Keegan-Michael Key became the star that people know him as today, he met and fell for a woman named Cynthia Blaise. After Key and Blaise tied the knot in 1997, it seemed like they were very happy from the outside looking in.
During the couple's marriage, Blaise appeared alongside her husband at red carpet events. On top of that, Blaise even appeared in some of Key's comedy sketches over the years including one that was uploaded to The Second City's YouTube channel and several from Key & Peele.
In September 2015, Blaise accompanied Key when he attended the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Mere weeks after that, Key filed for divorce much to the surprise of fans who had no idea that anything like that was going to happen.
As would later be revealed, Blaise and Key separated in November 2015, and he didn't wait long to move to end their marriage. Only 59 days after their separation, Key filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for why the couple's marriage needed to end.
Considering that Blaise and Key walked down the aisle in 1997 and were married for roughly 18 years, it seemed stunning that Key filed for divorce so quickly after the separation. Ultimately, it would take roughly two years for the former couple to finalize their divorce.
Throughout Hollywood history, there have been many messy divorces. On top of that, some celebrity divorces have been unbelievably expensive. Fortunately for Key, his divorce from Blaise wasn't remarkably expensive or messy for a celebrity. However, Key was ordered to pay Blaise more money than the vast majority of people could ever afford.
According to court documents obtained by People, Key was ordered to pay Blaise $34,000 per month in spousal support. On top of that, if Key brings in more than $2,153,846 in a year, he has to pay Blaise 21% of every extra dollar he makes up until a certain point. That said, that figure tops out as the most Blaise can receive from Key in a year is $700,000.
The former couple's divorce agreement called for Key to pay Blaise a lump sum of $655,649 to divide their communal assets. Blaise also walked away with a timeshare and a 2016 Subaru Crosstrek.
While Blaise seems to have done excellent in her divorce negotiations, that doesn't mean she was happy when she walked away from her marriage. As TMZ reported in March 2017, Blaise's health suffered greatly due to her divorce.
First off, TMZ reported that Blaise's physical health was affected by what she went through as her marriage was ending. That was embodied in Blaise losing some of her hair as well as shedding weight as she went through the process of her marriage ending.
More notably, TMZ revealed the biggest thing Blaise suffered from during her divorce was "severe depression". For Blaise, that resulted in her aforementioned physical health issues, anxiety, and PTSD.
It is worth noting that TMZ's reporting wasn't based on any conversations with Blaise. Instead, TMZ reported that they got the information about Blaise's health status from court filings that were part of her divorce from Key.
Those same legal documents also revealed that Blaise reportedly was receiving treatment for her health issues at that time. According to TMZ's reporting, Blaise was on five different medications to help cope with the stress getting divorced put her under.
Hopefully, Blaise's mental and physical health rebounded greatly since the height of her divorce settlement negotiations. Since Blaise has been out of the spotlight since her divorce was finalized, there sadly isn't any way for the public to know how she is doing today.
What Happened To Keegan-Michael Key After His Divorce?
When People published their article revealing the details of Keegan-Michael Key and Cynthia Blaise's divorce, they did so in a greater context. As the headline of People's article revealed, Key's divorce was finalized only days before he announced he'd gotten engaged to his new partner.
In June 2018, Key got married for the second time to a woman named Elle Pugliese. Since Key got remarried, it has seemed like he never gives up the chance to heap praise on the woman he now shares his life with.
A television producer, Pugliese has helped make several independent movies including Boy Meets Girl, This American Journey and Better Off Single. Pugliese also produced a pair of celebrity game shows called Brain Games and Game On!, both of which were canceled after a single season. Brain Games also involved Key as the short-lived show's host.
For many of Key's fans, Pugliese has been deeply involved in bringing them hours of entertainment. The reason for that is Pugliese directs and produces a podcast titled "The History of Sketch Comedy" which is hosted by Key and perfectly shows off many of his skills.
At the 2022 Webby Awards, Pugliese and Key's podcast won an award for Best Writing. When the couple took to the stage to accept together, her remarks spoke to the deep bond she appears to share with Key. "Find someone who inspires you."
For more proof of the impact Pugliese and Key have on each other's lives, all you have to look at is what he said during an appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan. According to Key, Pugliese has become such a huge part of his life that she helps him pick out his clothes.
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