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American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, and record producer Smokey Robinson is currently facing s*xual misconduct allegations from four of his former female employees.
Trigger warning: This article has references to r*pe, s*xual assault, abuse, and harassment. Readers' discretion is advised.
The plaintiffs filed a joint $50 million lawsuit at the Los Angeles Superior Court on May 6, 2025, where he was accused of s*xual battery, assault, false imprisonment, gender violence, and creating a hostile work environment, as reported by PEOPLE MAGAZINE.
Notably, the outlet reviewed the court documents, which have also named Smokey’s wife, Frances Glandney Robinson. The four women have argued that Frances had "full knowledge of his prior acts of s*xual misconduct" and "failed to take the appropriate corrective action" to prevent his "deviant misconduct."
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Smokey Robinson, 85, has been married twice. His first wife was singer Claudette Rogers. He has been married to his second wife, Frances, since 2002.
Everything you need to know about Smokey Robinson’s personal life
Smokey Robinson founded and led the pioneering Motown vocal group, the Matadors, in 1955, along with Emerson “Sonny” Rogers and others. However, Sonny left the group to join the military.
Soon, Sonny was replaced by his sister and singer-songwriter Claudette Rogers, who later joined the group in Detroit, which was then renamed as The Miracles. She was previously part of The Matadorettes.
After meeting each other, Smokey and Claudette fell in love. In 1959, they tied the knot, and she earned the nickname “The First Lady of Motown.” They had two children: son, Berry Robinson (born in 1968 via surrogacy), named after Motown founder Berry Gordy, and daughter Tamla Robinson (born in 1969), named after the famous Motown label, Tamla.
The couple separated in 1974 after Claudette reportedly caught him being disloyal. Later, he cheated again with his on-and-off girlfriend Kandi, which led to the birth of his youngest child, son Trey Robinson, in 1984.
That year, Smokey Robinson admitted having a kid out of wedlock and filed for legal separation. Their divorce was finalized in 1986.
Notably, Smokey had a year-long affair with singer-actress Diana Ross while being married to his first wife. In an April 2023 interview with The Guardian, he shared of Ross:
“We were working together, and it just happened. But it was beautiful. She’s a beautiful lady, and I love her right till today… She’s one of my closest people. She was young and trying to get her career together. I was trying to help her. I brought her to Motown, in fact. I wasn’t going after her, and she wasn’t going after me. It just happened.”
The Four in Blue crooner added that Diana ended their affair because she was friends with Claudette and knew he still loved his wife, admitting that Ross was right and he did love his ex-wife very much.
Several years after divorcing Claudette Rogers, Smokey Robinson married interior designer Frances Glandney in May 2002. They have a 12-year age gap but share the same birthday. The duo met each other via mutual friends in Los Angeles.
They were friends for a long time before tying the knot. The pair owns two joint skincare lines, The Get Ready and My Girl, in collaboration with Skinphonic. They currently reside in Pittsburgh, where they also have a winery. The couple did not have any children.
Both Berry and Tamla Robinson shared a private life and have their own families. However, they are close to each other and their father, who often appears on their social media. Smokey also dedicated a new holiday called Father-Daughter Day, in October 2019 to Tamla. Not much is known about Trey, who has chosen to remain out of the spotlight over the years.
In brief, about the latest allegations against Smokey Robinson
On Tuesday, Smokey Robinson was accused of alleged s*xual assault, abuse, gender discrimination, and creating a toxic work environment by four of his ex-employees, including multiple housekeepers.
As per the legal papers, the plaintiffs who have chosen to remain anonymous and went by Jane Does have claimed that they faced s*xual battery, assault, and harrasment at the hands of Robinson, calling the acts "willful, wanton, and malicious, with a conscious disregard" of their "rights, privacy, and feelings."
Frances Robinson has been named as a co-defendant and has been accused of staying silent despite having alleged knowledge of the reported incidents spanning across decades.
While Jane Doe 1 said the alleged and repeated assaults happened in March 2023, Jane Doe 2 claimed she was compelled to resign in 2020 after six years of service, adding that the alleged abuse started in 2016. Jane Doe 3, identified as a former housekeeper, claimed she was r*ped multiple times between 2012 and 2024, until she terminated her job.
Meanwhile, Jane Doe 4, also a housekeeper, claimed she was allegedly s*xually violated by Smokey over the years, beginning in 2006, when she began working at his home. She resigned last year. The plaintiffs are now seeking $50 million in damages.
Robinson is yet to respond to the allegations.
