Gary Owen says he expects to be “100% faithful” to his new wife, Brianna Johnson, after openly acknowledging that he cheated during his nearly 18-year marriage to Kenya Duke.
During a VladTV interview, the 52-year-old comedian said the biggest difference between his two marriages is intimacy. Owen claimed that he and Duke had sex only three times during the final six years of their marriage and said the prolonged distance between them contributed to his past infidelity.
Owen stressed that he was not trying to criticize Duke, describing the lack of intimacy as mutual and saying they had effectively become roommates. He contrasted that experience with his relationship with Johnson, saying he now feels both physically and emotionally connected to his spouse and looks forward to returning home to her.
Owen and Johnson married at the Four Seasons Hotel Houston on March 7 after welcoming twin sons Royal and Rome in July 2023. Owen and Duke married in 2003 and separated in 2021 after nearly 18 years together. They share two adult children, Austin and Kennedy.
Owen Says His First Marriage Had Become a Roommate Situation
When DJ Vlad asked whether he planned to remain faithful in his second marriage, Owen said he expected “to be 100% faithful” and immediately contrasted his relationship with Johnson with the final years of his marriage to Duke.
“The biggest difference between this marriage and my last marriage is that we weren’t intimate at all,” Owen said, claiming that he and Duke had sex three times during their final six years together. He said the disconnect extended beyond that period and characterized the relationship near the end as one in which neither spouse was interested in the other physically. “The feeling was mutual,” he said. “We just weren’t into each other.”
His admission that he cheated is not new. During a 2024 VladTV interview, Owen acknowledged being unfaithful during the marriage but said his affairs were physical rather than emotional and maintained that cheating was not the sole reason the relationship ended.
He Says Communication About Intimacy Is Different With Brianna Johnson
Owen said the difference in his current marriage is not simply how often he and Johnson are intimate but how openly they communicate about it. He described looking forward to seeing his wife after traveling for work and said the connection at home makes him want to remain faithful.
He also said Johnson communicates directly when she is tired or does not want to be intimate at a particular moment, sometimes suggesting another time instead. Owen argued that knowing when his partner might be interested later prevents him from interpreting rejection as something larger about their relationship. PEOPLE contacted representatives for Owen and Duke following publication of the new comments but did not receive an immediate response.
Owen and Johnson’s March 7 wedding brought approximately 170 guests to the Four Seasons Hotel Houston. Their twin sons served as ring bearers, while Owen’s Think Like a Man collaborators Terrence J, Romany Malco, Jerry Ferrara, Michael Ealy and producer Will Packer were among his groomsmen. At the time, Owen credited Johnson with challenging him to examine himself and become a better husband and father.
Owen and Duke Reunited Weeks Before His New Comments
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Their son Austin shared a photo on Instagram on July 25 showing himself between his parents and wrote, “Got my parents back together for the first time in 6 years. God is good.”
Owen posted photos from the same gathering and said he had spent “quality time” with Duke and Austin. He acknowledged the difficulties of the previous five-plus years but also noted that he and Duke had shared many good years together before their marriage ended.
The reunion represented a notable change after years of public tension surrounding Owen’s relationships with his older children. During a 2024 Club Shay Shay interview, he said he had gone more than three years without seeing them and accepted responsibility for not building relationships strong enough to withstand the fallout from the divorce.
Owen also acknowledged that years spent traveling for stand-up had kept him away from his family for long stretches. He described his older children as both his “greatest accomplishments” and, because of the estrangement, his “greatest failure.”
Duke responded publicly at the time by saying Owen had failed to respect the children’s boundaries and accusing him of presenting misleading narratives about the family situation. She said she had offered him suggestions about repairing those relationships but could not do that work for him.