'Sister, Sister' star Marques Houston: 'Single mothers are a red flag'

Singer and actor Marques Houston is defending the 19-year age gap between him and his wife, Miya Dickey. 

The 41-year-old says he met his wife through a mutual friend when she was 17, but they only started dating when she turned 18. She is now 22.

Marques has been accused of grooming his wife when she was a teenager, but he is adamant he only became romantically involved with her when she became of age. 

In a recent interview with Page Six, Marques explains why he doesn't like dating women who are his age.

"A red flag to me [was] always with a woman that had a kid. Nothing against single women, but single mothers with children are a red flag for me," he said.

The actor added that his father warned him against dating women with children. 

"I would talk to my dad a lot, and he would always tell me to have your own kids because you never know what the baby daddy‘s are about. So if you’re gonna have kids, make sure it is with a woman that never had kids. So that was always my red flag… and a woman with an attitude. I don’t like women with funky attitudes.” 

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Marques Houston wife

Marques and Miya got engaged in 2019 when she was 19. They became husband and wife in 2020 when they got married in a lavish wedding ceremony. 

They welcomed their first child together - a daughter named Zara - one year later.  

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Marques, who is best known for his role as Roger in the 90s sitcom 'Sister, Sister' - starring Tia and Tamera Mowry, says women his age have a different outlook on life and come with "baggage".

He adds that dating them could have been "disastrous".  

"A lot of women my age are very independent. They are very like, ‘I don’t need a man to do this for me ’cause I can do it for myself.’ I come from a generation that I love to provide for my wife."

Marques says his wife is everything he prayed for and wanted in a woman.

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Go home, Roger!

Social media users are less than impressed with Marques' remarks about dating older women - especially single moms. 

"Marques Houston said single women his age come with kids and baggage, so I’m guessing he doesn’t have any baggage? Like none at all. So he chose to basically groom a child instead," one Twitter user said.

Another user added: "Marques Houston: A single mom with kids is a red flag for me'. Me: 'So that’s why you go after the child instead of the mom?'"

A third person tweeted: "Marques Houston is a walking red flag. The nerve."

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Read Marques Houston's full interview with Page Six below:

Main image credit: Instagram/@marqueshouston