A Trump-backed congressman vying to become Florida’s next governor once faked a Jamaican accent to stand out in college, according to his ex-wife.
Rep. Byron Donalds, 47, who represents Florida’s 19th Congressional District, adopted the accent when he first arrived at Florida A&M University at age 18, his former spouse, Bisa Hall, claimed in an interview with the Daily Mail.
“He absolutely did have a Jamaican accent when we first met; it was gone within a few days,” Hall said. “He said that he used the fake accent because he wanted to stand out; there were a lot of guys at our university from New York, but very few from Jamaica.”
Hall was married to Donalds from 1999 to 2002.
Donalds did not deny the claims when contacted by the Daily Mail, but said he regretted how he handled his first marriage.
“My former wife and I were married young, and although we were separated, I wish I had handled that chapter differently,” Donalds said in a statement.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Donalds for additional comment.
Donalds drew scrutiny on social media after his wife, Erika Donalds, 46, revealed that he went after her while he was still married to Hall. On Valentine’s Day, she wrote on X that the couple met at Florida State University’s Oglesby Student Union in the fall of 1999 and that their first date took place on Valentine’s Day 2000.
Donalds replied in a post to his 1.1million followers, gushing: “I remember that day. You were beautiful then, and you are still beautiful now. I love you @ErikaDonalds! Happy Valentines Day!!”
Social media users were quick to question their romantic timeline.
Hall told the Daily Mail she was blindsided when Donalds announced that he and Erika were expecting a child.
“We were absolutely married (in a legal sense) when he began dating Erika; we did not live together at the time or at all during our marriage,” Hall said, confirming previous reporting that they had married for financial reasons.
“I wasn’t hurt when they started dating. I’ve met her (though I wasn’t a fan of hers); it’s not her fault that he wasn’t honest with her about his marital status,” she added. “I was hurt that we had to divorce because she was pregnant; particularly since he wouldn’t give me the divorce when I asked for it (which I did several times).”
The congressman announced his bid for Florida governor last February following an endorsement from President Donald Trump in a post on Truth Social. If elected, Donalds would become the nation’s first Black Republican governor.
