Who Is Fantasia Barrino's Husband? All About Kendall Taylor

'The Color Purple' actress and her husband got married in 2015

Fantasia Barrino found her soulmate in Kendall Taylor.

The American Idol alum first met her husband in North Carolina (where they both grew up), and they had an instant connection. In fact, they ended up exchanging vows at a courthouse three weeks after meeting!

Since making their relationship official in 2015, the couple has given many glimpses of their sweet love story. In addition to supporting one another at events, they constantly gush about each other on social media.

In May 2021, they welcomed their daughter Keziah. Fantasia Barrino is also mom to son Dallas Xavier and daughter Zion Quari, from previous relationships, while Taylor is also dad to son Trey.

As Barrino celebrates the success of her latest film The Color Purple, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination, she told PEOPLE that having her husband’s support has meant the world. "It means a lot to share this moment with him,” she said. “He's invested so much into my life and I feel like he's my soulmate."

Read ahead to learn more about Barrino’s husband and their relationship.

He hails from North Carolina like Fantasia Barrino

Taylor and his younger brother Robert were raised by their single mom in Gastonia, North Carolina, which is about two hours away from where Barrino grew up, in High Point.

He and Fantasia Barrino met at a rooftop bar and instantly connected

Taylor and Barrino's paths first crossed when they met at a rooftop bar in Charlotte in 2015.

During an appearance on The Breakfast Club in 2019, Barrino recalled how she spent a lot of time working on herself before she met Taylor: “I knew I was broken as hell. I knew that I was carrying a lot of stuff. I wanted a relationship but there’s no way I was gonna have it with all that baggage.”

She added that while she was doing that, she had a small list of what she wanted in a man, including someone who was going to love her, her children and God. “All the things that were on my list, he was,” she said of Taylor.

"Every day, I would put up on index cards what I was looking for and what I wanted. Everything I had on my wall, Kendall was that,” Barrino told PEOPLE of Taylor in 2019. “He was a praying man, he was a smart man, he was a man with a story, he was a man with a past, he was going somewhere; I saw the king in him and he saw the queen in me.”

He and Fantasia Barrino have been married for more than 8 years

Their connection was so instantaneous that three weeks after they met, they decided to exchange vows at a local courthouse. “He was like, ‘Let’s do it.’ We went and got married at the courthouse. None of y’all knew. The world didn’t know,” Barrino told The Breakfast Club.

They later held a wedding ceremony on a yacht in July 2015, which Barrino posted about on Instagram. “This Man … God made him just for Me and me Just For Him,” she wrote at the time, adding, “Be Happy with me you guys cause I’ve been thru SOOOOO much. Some stuff was my wrong decisions but all I ever really wanted was this … Real Love. This Man and this smile is real.”

He and Fantasia Barrino have a daughter together

In May 2021, Barrino and Taylor welcomed their first child together, a daughter named Keziah Taylor. In addition to Keziah, Barrino is also mom to son Dallas Xavier and daughter Zion Quari, from previous relationships, while Taylor is also dad to son Treyshaun.

Barrino announced her pregnancy in late November 2020 while speaking about her fertility issue during an Instagram Live session with her husband. Then in December, Barrino appeared on The Tamron Hall Show and opened up about her pregnancy journey, sharing that it took her years to conceive naturally. "This is a three-year journey we've been on," she revealed.

He’s a grandfather

Taylor is a proud grandfather as well, to his son Trey's two children. In December 2019, Taylor announced the arrival of his second grandchild, sharing a sweet video of Trey rocking his newborn.

He and Fantasia Barrino have worked together

Taylor and Barrino have joined forces on a handful of projects. In addition to being co-owners of the record label Rock Soul Entertainment, they wrote a relationship book together in 2022, titled No Crowns in the Castle: Building a Strong Relationship and a Harmonious Life, in which they shared “faith-forward and Biblical relationship advice,” per the book’s description.

He runs a non-profit organization called Salute 1st

Taylor has a non-profit organization called Salute 1st, which he was inspired to create after growing up in “the underworld of crime, drugs, and violence." His experience included a deadly shootout at the age of 16 where he survived multiple gunshot wounds that left a bullet lodged in his lungs.

According to the official website for Salute 1st, the mission of the organization is “to impact men from all walks of life by challenging faulty perspectives and belief systems, building men of good character who possess the necessary critical thinking and emotional mastery skills conducive to a successful lifestyle.”

He has an honorary doctorate degree

In June 2023, Taylor was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Texas Seminary Christian University in Dallas. Barrino cheered his achievement on Instagram, writing, “Dr. Kendall Taylor: Saying that I’m Proud of you 'King' is an UNDERSTATEMENT!!! You have to know this Man’s Story to know why this is so impressive. The Vision, The Program! 'Salute' to the Kings and young Kings you have poured so much into Kendall. Now God is pouring back into you. I Salute you Black Man with both my hands.”

He is one of Fantasia Barrino’s biggest supporters

Taylor is just as effusive in his support for his actress wife as well. In addition to accompanying her at various red carpet events, including the 2019 Grammy Awards, Taylor has spoken highly of Barrino’s recent role in The Color Purple.

“I’m thankful People will Finally get to witness one of your greatest bodies of work,” he wrote to Barrino ahead of the film’s release. “I’m thrilled that God will soon speak directly through your gift of Music. But above all, I’m Honored that I am able to experience the beautiful Process of your Evolution Black Queen!”

In fact, Barrino shared with PEOPLE that Taylor was the first to tell her about her Golden Globe nomination for best actress – motion picture – musical or comedy. "My husband picked up and it sounded like a bunch of screaming, The first thing I thought was that something [bad] had happened, so I immediately hung up to prepare myself," she said of the moment. "I called back like, 'Babe, you have to tell me what's wrong,' and he's like 'Tasia, you just got nominated for a Golden Globe!' I literally started crying. Like, the ugly cry."

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