Every classic R&B record comes with a big story. Great artists, producers, and songwriters always draw inspiration from something in their lives or someone else’s. Most of the time, it’s pretty broad, based on some kind of romantic experience they can turn into something artistic. However, sometimes, the experiences can be quite specific and even a bit random. For instance, would you expect that Kim Kardashian inspired one of the biggest Tyrese hits of all time?
Long before she was arguably the most famous person in the world, she was married to songwriter Damon Thomas. According to Tyrese in an interview on The Kenny Burns Show, he lived with the married couple while making his 2002 album I Wanna Go There. According to the R&B singer and actor, he was there for the ugliest times in the couple’s relationship.
Additionally, Tyrese claimed to see them eventually file for divorce due to the sex tape between Kim Kardashian and Ray J. Consequently, Thomas was inspired to pen “How You Gonna Act Like That?” for him.
“I was there whenever that sex tape happened, and I was there for all of it. Damon was my brother. I was literally at the crib. And everything happened in real time, and I was there, and it was crazy… And it was inspired by wondering, how did she act like that while she was with Damon?”
Tyrese Claims One of His Biggest Hits Was Inspired by Kim Kardashian early in her Stardom
Some of the scorn in “How You Gonna Act Like That” bled into his interviews post-divorce as well. In an interview with In Touch Weekly, Damon Thomas said that Kim Kardashian cheated on him with “multiple guys” and spent a bulk of the interview talking down on her. “She can’t write or sing or dance, so she does harmful things in order to validate herself in the media,” he scathingly told the outlet. “That’s a fame-whore to me. It’s just not cool at all.”
Tyrese wasn’t the only one to receive a song inspired by the aftermath of Thomas’ relationship with Kim Kardashian. The songwriter told DJ Vlad that he also wrote “How Could You” by Mario based on the ugly breakup.
Tyrese also knows the complicated emotions that come with a breakup record. At the end of 2025, he told his fans on Instagram that he was “liberated” after finalizing his pricey $2 million divorce.
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