Mary J. Blige gets honest about financial problems in new interview

Mary J. Blige might be the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul and an Academy Award-nominated actress and songwriter, but she's struggling financially.

In an interview with Vulture, published Sunday, the singer opened up about her financial struggles due to her ongoing divorce from husband and former manager Martin "Kendu" Isaacs.

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“I’m just being straight-up honest,” she said. “I never wanted to do all this stuff, but after what I’ve been through and the mess that I’m in … You have to pay those taxes. It’s good to see what you have and what you don’t have — and why are we paying this person $5,000 a week?” she said.

Blige had reportedly been ordered to pay her estranged husband $30,000 in temporary spousal support, and owes the IRS $6.5 million for eight years of back taxes, according to reports.

Related: Mary J. Blige receives record-setting Oscar nominations for ‘Mudbound’

Last year, Blige spoke at Essence Fest 2016 about how she got through it following her split from Isaacs.

"The journey that got us here is that every woman can relate to, a woman out there fighting for her marriage," she said, according to People. "When I first started writing (my album, 'Strength of a Woman'), I was fighting for my marriage. There were a lot of layers to me peeled back for this marriage. I really thought I did (find) the love of my life."

Blige filed for divorce from her husband of 12 years in July 2016. In the time since she filed, she has kept details mostly private.

The singer said she turned to prayer to help her get through the pain.

“Being Mary J. Blige the celebrity is secondary and I’m a human being first and I suffer just like everyone else,” Blige said. “I believe that I wasn’t given this career or this job as a singer or this gift from God to sit down and say, ‘I’m going to suffer from the world in silence and die.’ And it’s therapeutic for me as well. So, you know, that’s why. It’s not just for me.”

Blige has been nominated for best supporting actress at the 90th Academy Awards for her role in the Netflix film "Mudbound." Her song "Mighty River" from the film's soundtrack has been nominated in the Best Original Song category.

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