Imani Showalter is the ex-fiance and baby mama of Stephen Jackson, a retired NBA player. She was born on February 11, 1983, and is a public personality and former reality television actress. The 41-year-old Showalter is mainly remembered for being left at the altar by Jackson.
Showalter had a loving relationship with Stephen Jackson that lasted seven years, produced two kids, and would have endured for longer until a disagreement led to him abandoning her on the day of their wedding. Even though it happened over two decades ago, Jackson recently took to Instagram to finally explain to his fans what happened, and this has only led to more drama and brought Imani more negative attention than she wants. Take a look at what transpired and why Jackson left Imani Showalter at the altar.
Summary of Imani Showalter’s Biography
- Full Name: Imani Showalter
- Gender: Female
- Date of Birth: February 11, 1983
- Imani Showalter’s Age: 41 Years Old
- Ethnicity: African-American
- Nationality: American
- Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christianity
- Marital Status: Single
- Imani Showalter’s Children: Three (including two sons)
- Imani Showalter’s Parents: Georgia Showalter
- Siblings: Six siblings
- Imani Showalter’s Height in Inches: 71 Inches (5 Feet 11 Inches)
- Height in Centimeters: 180 cm
- Imani Showalter’s Net worth: $250 thousand
- Famous for: Being the ex-fiancé of Stephen Jackson
- Imani Showalter’s Instagram: @iammellissaiman
Imani Showalter’s Age
Imani Showalter is 41 years old as of 2024. She was born on February 11, 1982, and her zodiac sign is Sagittarius. The reports about Imani’s age vary from source to source, however. Many sources believe that she is a few years over 41. Whatever the case, we can all agree that Imani looks stunning for her age, even after a rough beginning and three children.
Where Is Imani Showalter From?
Imani Showalter was born and raised in the United States, Philadelphia, to be exact. She comes from a close-knit family and has six siblings. Her mother’s name is Georgia Showalter, and Imani often speaks very fondly of her. About her father, there are no confirmed reports, although some sources say his name is Michael.
Nothing is known about her educational background, and we believe that while Imani had the required middle and high school education, she didn’t go to college as she chose to pursue a career in Hollywood instead. There is strong reason to believe that Imani’s lack of a college education happened because she got pregnant as a teenager. This, no doubt, interfered with her education as she decided to keep and raise the baby.
She has not shared many details about the child or even who his father is and what transpired between them. The birth of the child resulted in a rift with her family that caused Imani to gain some level of independence before she reached the age of consent.
Imani and Stephen Met On The Streets of New York
According to Stephen Jackson, he and Imani met on the streets of New York while she was driving, and he flagged her down to chat. The chat led to them becoming friends, and eventually, they started dating. Soon afterward, they moved in together, even though Imani was around 16 years old.
Two years after they started dating, Stephen signed a two-year deal with the Atlanta Hawks that required him to leave New York and move to Atlanta. Their relationship was going great at the time, and since they did not want to live in separate cities, Imani decided to move to Atlanta with Jackson. So, in 2003, they relocated to Atlanta and lived together as a couple.
Jackson, who was at the peak of his basketball career at the time, won an NBA championship at San Antonio, but his contract with them was short-lived. Stephen and Imani were reportedly so obsessed with each other that the relationship often interfered with his decisions regarding contracts to sign and the clubs to play for.
Stephen Proposed to Imani Showalter in 2004
In 2004, after having been together for close to six years and having a child together, Stephen Jackson proposed to Imani Showalter. This was just after they moved to Indiana, where Jackson was signed to the Indiana Pacers. Having already been together long enough, they set the wedding date for 2005, and they chose Stephen’s hometown in Houston, Texas, as the venue.
While fans of the couple were happy for them, many things were going on in their love nest. First was the widely purported rumors of infidelity on Stephen Jackson’s part, which Imani was overlooking. These cheating episodes also led to Jackson fathering two other kids with different women while he was still dating Imani.
The issues between them eventually came to a head on their supposed wedding day in 2005 when Jackson left Imani at the altar. It caused a huge scandal at the time, considering how well-publicised their relationship and upcoming wedding had been. In the end, Imani became well known to the media as Stephen Jackson’s fiancee, whom he left at the altar.
Why Did Stephen Jackson Leave His Fiance at the Altar?
Stephen Jackson allegedly called off his wedding to Imani Showalter because she refused to sign a prenup. At the time the incident took place, neither Jackson nor Imani directly addressed what happened; hence, the media did not get the whole story.
However, nearly two decades later, in 2020, Stephen opened up about it and revealed that the real reason he called off the wedding was that he had a misunderstanding with his then-fiancée.
In an Instagram live video, Stephen confirmed that they had called off the wedding due to irreconcilable differences. He then went into the full details of the prenuptial agreement saga, confirming the rumors that Imani’s refusal to sign the agreement was what led to the final breakup. According to the former basketball player, Imani had been stalling on signing the prenup after he had drawn the papers up with her consent.
He said she was intentionally stalling even after he kept on reminding her about it months before the wedding. When she eventually did not sign it by the morning of the wedding, he chose to call off the wedding, after which she agreed to sign the papers. He stated that he knew if he had allowed her to sign the papers, she could argue in court that she signed it under duress, which would render it null and void.
He recalled how much it hurt him to call off the wedding and how much he cried because he loved Imani and had never thought their relationship would come to nothing over a piece of paper.
Imani Showalter’s Response to Stephen Jackson’s Live
Shortly after his live discussion, Imani Showalter responded with a pinned post on her Instagram account that refuted Stephen’s claims about what went down.
She posted a letter that was addressed to Jackson from his lawyers and explained that contrary to his claims, it was he and his mother who drew up the details of the prenup. She also said that she was not aware of the prenup because Jackson never discussed it with her.
The content of the letter, which was sent to Jackson two weeks before the wedding date, seemed to support her claim that the lawyers were still trying to convince him to discuss the matter of the prenup with Imani to enable them to process it before the wedding. Also, she stated that they had copied his mother, Judyette Jackson, and not her.
Her response insinuated that Jackson did not discuss the prenup because he did not want it but was trying to please his mother, who was the originator of the idea and the details of the prenup.
What Was In Stephen Jackson’s Prenup?
There have been no clear details of exactly what was contained in the original prenup document Stephen Jackson wanted Imani Showalter to sign. But from the few glimpses caught in the signature page and what Imani has said so far, Stephen’s prenup contained clauses that prevented Imani from claiming any right to his wealth.
News of the prenup came to light only after Stephen spoke about it on Instagram, but to date, no one knows the specifics of the prenup. But as is to be expected, the prenup included clauses that would protect Stephen’s assets in the event of a divorce. When Imani eventually signed the prenup one hour before the wedding, she added five clauses of her own for reasons that she explained were from her previous experiences with Jackson and because she did not know exactly what the prenup contained.
First, she included a stipulated monthly allowance so she would not be at his mercy because he had dogged her before and left her and their child for dead until her girlfriend had to send her money to feed their child. Next, she asked for a house to be purchased in her name, which would be her sole property in case he chose to throw her and the kids out as he had done numerous times and had to get armed escorts before he allowed her back in to get clothes for the kids.
Next, she stipulated that they would have no more children because she had seen what kind of a father he was. She also stipulated that there would be no more cheating from either party because she had had enough of his cheating and fathering kids outside of their relationship. Finally, she asked for legal representation to look through the prenup at a later date to ensure transparency.
While it seemed like Jackson didn’t mind a prenup at all, it appeared that he wanted Imani to sign a prenup without letting her know exactly what was in the agreement. This mutual lack of trust eventually snowballed into the events that led to the final call-off of the wedding.
Imani said in an Instagram post that the notification to sign a prenuptial agreement was given just two weeks before their slated wedding on August 20, 2005. She also revealed that while Jackson said she outrightly refused to sign it, the truth was that she never signed it because he never wanted her to know the full details of the agreement.
How Many Children Does Imani Showalter Have?
Imani Showalter had three children. She had her first child during her mid-teen years with an unknown person. The son, whom she named Kai, passed away from unknown causes. With Stephen Jackson, she has two children: a son and a daughter.
Her first child with Jackson is their son Stacky, who was born on January 17, but his specific year of birth is not available. He plays basketball just like his father and seems to be doing great. He is active on Instagram @sstackyy.
Her daughter, Taylor Eva Marie, on the other hand, was born on January 16, 2004, and is 20 years old. She is still in school and is not yet on any career path. However, she is very active on Instagram @taylorevamarie_.
What Does Imani Showalter Do for a Living?
Imani Showalter is a singer and a former reality TV star. As a singer, she was part of a girl group, which she once claimed was signed by US record executive Shakir Stewart. Sadly, the group never took off, and all its members found different career paths. For Imani, it was acting and modeling, both of which she did briefly until her public wedding scandal, which forced her to go underground.
As a reality TV star, she starred in a single season of the Real Basketball Wives reality show but did not return for a second season. Rumors stated that she was kicked out of the show, but Showalter vehemently denied this, saying that she chose not to return of her own volition.
Since then, she has maintained a low profile, especially on social media. Whatever career she has chosen seems to be enough to provide a comfortable life for her and her kids.
Imani Showalter’s Net Worth
Imani Showalter’s net worth is approximately $250,000. Despite not being in the public eye, Imani Showalter has managed to make a living for herself. Her brief stint on the Basketball Wives show, as well as her short singing career, must have given her some leverage. She got custody of the kids after her separation from Jackson, but there are no details on how much he pays her for child support.
Her life is no longer public and has been like that for the last few years, so nobody can point to exactly what Imani does to make money. However, she is thriving as a single career woman and mother.
