Kym Whitley is a well-recognized actress known for her work in black film classics like Next Friday, Baby Boy and more. The comedian has a bevy of interesting stories from throughout her career, none more interesting than her relationship with the late R&B singer Gerald Levert. Whitley spoke with TV One’s Uncensored last year and opened up on their relationship and why the pair never married.
Kym Whitley and Gerald Levert were both raised in Shaker Heights, OH and knew each other from very young. “I don’t remember how Gerald and I met because we had been knowing each other since we were kids,” Whitley said in the interview. While Whitley came from humbler beginnings, Levert was born to O’Jay’s founder Eddie Levert and already had his eyes set on superstardom from an early age.
Whitley and Levert dated in their teens, Kym says her family discouraged her from dating the singer sighting that entertainers were trouble. For Whitley it did not matter, because Gerald was her first love. While the pair shared a mutual understanding and planned to share their lives no matter what, Whitley said that Gerald was unwilling to commit to her if she pursued a career in Hollywood. According to Gerald, there was only room for one star in the relationship. Whitley recalls him saying, “you can go off to Hollywood but if you want to be with me imma let you know there can only one star.”
Due to this, the pair decided to remain friends and spent years as such. Kym reveals that they made a plan to marry in their 50’s if they were both still single. Unfortunately they never got to see their 50’s together because Gerald Levert died on November 10, 2006. His passing was initially reported as a heart attack but later revealed to be an OD.
Kym believes that had Gerald still been alive they would most certainly be married right now. Despite their understanding and friendship, Kym says she was still jealous of the women he dated. She attributes it to be young and in love. To make matters worst, Levert was a ladies man and had many women.
Kym recalls one of the women he tried to court actually being her friend and fellow actress Monique. According to Kym, Monique did the unheard of and approached her early on to ask her blessing to date Gerald. While Kym understood that Monique did not have to do this, she appreciated her fellow comic’s respect of their friendship and her history with Gerald. Kym would go on to give Monique her blessing. Monique and Gerald’s relationship has very little information online so it is unclear if they did eventually date.
Kym did eventually move on following Gerald’s passing in 2006. She adopted a child in 2011 with friend Rodney Van Johnson. The adoption was a surprise for Kym, who had not planned on becoming a mother. A young woman she had been mentoring birthed the child and listed Kym as a guardian on her hospital papers before exiting the hospital unannounced. Kym decided to adopt the boy with the help of her “village”, which included her mother and Rodney. Kym and Rodney have a unique union, as she claims they were never romantic or intimate but instead just co-parents.
