EXCLUSIVE: Serena Williams' Dad 'King Richard,' 83, Dramatically Halts Divorce From Her Ex-Stripper Stepmom, 46, for Second Time
King Richard abruptly halted his divorce again from Serena Williams' stepmom.
Jan. 21 2026, Published 8:27 p.m. ET
Serena Williams' frail dad King Richard has bizarrely called off the divorce from her ex-stripper stepmom – for a SECOND time in 21 months.
The 83-year-old, who's suffering from dementia, was fleeced of his luxury Florida home by Lakeisha Williams, who also blew over half a million bucks.
Luxury Home Scandal And Alleged Elder Abuse
Richard has called off his divorce from Lakeisha Williams for the second time in 21 months.
Lakeisha, at 46, nearly half Richard’s age, changed the title deeds of his four-bed mansion in Palm Beach into her name without his knowledge.
She then borrowed $279K from a "hard lender" by using the house as collateral to spend the lot on a disastrous trucking business and "fast food and frivolities," according to court docs.
This rose to nearly $620K at one stage, including legal fees and interest.
From 2017 to 2024, there was a bitter seven-year legal battle over the house, which ended up being sold for $1.2million to pay off the debt.
Divorce Filing Chaos And Family Fury
Court records detailed years of financial disputes.
At the same time as this case was being played out, an exasperated Richard, whose life was portrayed by Will Smith in the biopic King Richard, filed for divorce but sensationally called it off in April 2024.
He took Lakeisha back, despite the betrayal, and they were living in an $815K Palm Beach property bought by Serena.
Richard refiled for divorce in July 2025 at the Palm Beach Family Court.
And now, to the disappointment of his family, especially his son Chavoita Lesane, he has backed out again, this time after they had a court-appointed mediation session on January 16.
Just a day later, Richard's attorney submitted a notice for voluntary dismissal.
Stolen Cars, Forged Papers And Missing Checks
His relationship with Lakeisha remains unstable.
The ups and downs of their unlikely relationship will infuriate Chavoita, who had previously spoken out against Lakeisha and had been threatening an elder abuse lawsuit.
Forging title deeds was not Lakeisha’s first misdemeanor, but she took advantage of the legendary tennis coach’s delicate state to fake his signature to sell his cars and cash his social security checks, according to Chavoita.
"I can’t remember how long it was into the relationship as far as my dad starting to have financial headaches, like, 'What’s going on with my social security checks?' Lakeisha took the Mercedes, she took the bus, she took money — what else was it? The motorcycle. There are so many things that she stole or forged documents for him. That’s considered elder abuse. We’re just putting all of it together, it's a lot. This whole situation has been frustrating," he said.
Stroke, Dementia And Power Of Attorney Battle
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Richard's health issues continue to worry his children.
It was always an unlikely romance after they met at a Miami nightclub while she was working as a dancer called Angel.
Richard has suffered three strokes, the early onset of dementia, memory loss and problems with his speech, with Chavoita now having power of attorney.
His primary care physician, Dr. Monica Walker, wrote a letter to the courts stating how the strokes had affected his "brain function."
Further adding: "The complications after the stroke included the inability to remember things which happened recently and incidents that happened years ago. You have recovered from problems forming your words.
"However, you have not recovered from what is called dementia. Your ability to do household business transactions such as writing checks, paying bills, and maintaining records is lost."
