Matt Barnes' Ex-Wife Gloria Govan Isn't a Fan of Their Kids Being on 'The Barnes Bunch'
The exes have been in a nasty custody battle since their 2016 divorce.
Published April 19 2024, 1:56 p.m. ET
In reality TV, it's highly likely that some of the genre's stars will be on more than one show in their lifetime. This is true for former NBA star Matt Barnes, who first made his reality debut on VH1's Basketball Wives, is back for another show with his current fiance, model Anansa Sims, The Barnes Bunch.
The Barnes Bunch, airing on WeTV on Friday, April 19, stars Matt, Anansa, and their blended family, giving the title a nod to The Brady Bunch.
In addition to their child together, Ashton Joseph Barnes, Matt has two children from his previous marriage to Basketball Wives alum Gloria Govan.
Fans might recall seeing Gloria and Matt's engagement and marriage play out on both the Miami and Los Angeles, Calif. seasons of Basketball Wives. However, since their divorce, the exes' child support court battles have been filled with more drama behind the scenes.
Matt Barnes' ex-wife, Gloria Govan, said she feared he might abuse and "bully" her again after her filing against her kids being on his show.
While Matt has been in the spotlight for his basketball career, playing for the Los Angeles Clippers, Lakers, and New York Knicks in the 2000s and 2010s, he and Gloria became reality TV darlings when they joined Season 1 of Basketball Wives in 2010. The pair were engaged at the time and had been dating since 2006.
According to People, Gloria met Matt when she was 12 and he was 16, and they reconnected when Matt played in a game near Gloria's hometown. After several years of dating and the birth of their twins in 2008, Gloria and Matt married in 2013. Unfortunately, they divorced two years later amid marital troubles, including allegations of Matt abusing Gloria.
Since finalizing their divorce in 2016, Gloria and Matt have been in court over the custody and child support agreements for their two sons. In a December 2023 filing obtained by RadarOnline, Gloria sued Matt for $267,000 in back child support, claiming the All the Smoke host "is retired from the NBA, has extensive savings, a luxurious lifestyle and likely earns well over $1.5 million per year even after retirement. He is likely to have extensive savings and investment accounts.”
Gloria also expressed concern over their sons being on The Barnes Bunch with Matt, Anansa, Ashton, and Anansa's children from her first marriage. In the motion, she said she felt Matt might revert to his "abusive" ways after she filed the motion and could possibly "extort me as he has in the past." Gloria also said Matt went "beyond our agreement" for how often their sons could be involved with the show.
“I am especially concerned that if Matt gets angry, that some of this will be displayed on the reality show The Barnes Bunch that he has been filming for a season, and which is filming again now,” she said. “I had originally only agreed to our boys being included only on a limited basis, but Matt went beyond our agreement.”
"I therefore wish to have a written order that requires our agreement to have the boys involved in a reality show," Gloria continued. "Whether Matt’s or one that I am potentially going to be filming.”
Like Matt Barnes, Gloria Govan has moved on from their split.
While Gloria and Matt will always be tied to one another through their kids, they've both moved on to other relationships. Of course, not without controversy. Matt is happily engaged to Anansa, which we will see more of on The Barnes Bunch. Gloria, for her part, began dating his friend and ex-teammate, Derek Fisher. The pair got engaged in 2018 and married in 2021, one year after COVID-19 delayed their wedding plans.
Matt didn't take the news of his ex dating his close friend well. In 2015, he and Derek were involved in a fight after Matt found out about his and Gloria's relationship, per TMZ. Thankfully, the fight didn't result in criminal charges. Matt also confirmed in 2022 that, despite his and Gloria's courtroom disagreements and her new, blended family with Derek, he'd put any animosity against them aside for their kids.
“My situation played out for the world to see, with my ex and the situation, but at the end of the day, we—all of us had to put that aside because there are kids right in the middle of this s--t," he said of Gloria and Derek on Iman Shumpert's podcast, Iman Among Men. "Whether it’s blended family now or broken up family, whatever the situation may be, the reality is at some point you’re probably going to have a baby mama or baby daddy. So, [it's] how do you put your bulls--t to the side to realize that the bigger picture is to the kids now.”
Matt continued: “Whether you can’t stand her or she can’t stand you—none of that sh*t should matter once you realize that we still have kids and we’re gonna be here," he continued. "My s--t played out so public and nasty. I’m really happy to say now that me and my ex are on great terms and I’m cool with my former teammate that she’s married to.”
The Barnes Bunch airs new episodes on WeTV on Fridays at 10 p.m. EST.