Akon discusses – Singer Akon, 53, discussed practicing polyamory on the “We Need to Talk” podcast, describing his “rules” for relationships, saying he has nine children, and explaining why “Wife No. 1” is treated as the “queen.” He also shut down critics by urging honesty.
Akon didn’t dodge the topic when the conversation turned to polyamory. On Tuesday. May 19. during the “We Need to Talk” podcast. the 53-year-old singer said polyamory is “a natural behavior for men. ” adding that “because of the rules that [are] set around us. ” people end up controlling that behavior to “appease our partner.”.
He framed it as something that changes once commitment enters the picture. “When you’re single, it’s not a problem,” Akon said. “It’s only when you are attached or you’ve promised someone that this is a relationship that we’re supposed to hold in the rules that you decide to hold it in.”
When asked how many wives he has, Akon answered with a grin that left the number unspoken: “I’ll just leave that to your imagination.” Pressed again after the question compared his life to the Senegalese president Bassirou Diomaye Faye—who has two wives—Akon said, “It’s entertainment.”
For Akon, the discussion wasn’t just about labels—it was about boundaries inside his household. He said he has nine children altogether: seven boys and two girls. and described his family “setup” as depending on “the person and the understanding.” “It’s communication. ” he said. “It’s literally the answer and the solution. You got to be mature enough to know that. ‘If this is the situation that I’m going to park in. I have to communicate.’”.
He also described relationship rules for his wives. Akon said his wives cannot have other partners. and he listed his first wife as his emergency contact “no matter what.” “That one is the reason you even got one. two or three. She’s the queen,” he stated. “Nobody violates Wife No. 1. The moment they violate, [they are] out the door.”.
Akon told listeners that the structure becomes more complicated as the family grows. saying “there’s levels in the end. like. she’s the one that’s actually sacrificing in the end.” He added that when new people join. “there’s going to be new attitudes. new mindsets. new behaviors” and “the [first wife has] to deal with that.”.
As the comments made their way back to listeners, Akon also pushed back against criticism in the same episode. “If you’re going to do it, be honest about it,” he said. He then argued that many critics are “hypocritical,” saying they condemn him while doing similar things themselves. “There’s not a person. I promise you. that ever critiqued anything that I’ve ever said that if I went and did a background check on them right now or hired a private investigator that I wouldn’t find nothing. ” Akon said. “That’s just being real, right?”.
In the end, Akon connected his arguments to culture, saying, “I think as humans sometimes we find ourselves judging others, not understanding the pathway they went through because most of the time, oftentimes, when I’m talking, I’m talking relating to culture.”
He went further, claiming polyamory can be more beneficial to each wife than to the husband. “Oftentimes when the family is united in that way. the benefit is more for the woman than it is for the man because the man actually has to take care of all of them. ” he said. “He has to treat them all equally and their responsibility bears on him as well.”.
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