Hollywood is full of complicated family trees, but the one involving Damon Wayans Jr and Aja Metoyer is usually the one that makes people do a double-take. It’s not just about the Wayans dynasty. It’s about high school history, reality TV drama, and a custody battle that once dominated the headlines.
Most people recognize Damon from New Girl or Happy Endings. They know Aja from her stint on Basketball Wives. But the connection between them goes back way before the cameras were rolling. Honestly, their story is a textbook example of how "private" lives in the industry are anything but simple.
The Secret History of Damon Wayans Jr and Aja Metoyer
They weren't just a random fling. Damon and Aja were actually childhood sweethearts. Long before he was "Coach" and before she was reality TV famous, they were navigating life together in Los Angeles. It’s easy to look at the messier years and forget there was a foundation there.
They have two daughters together: Amara and Aniya.
For a long time, things seemed relatively quiet. Damon was building his career, moving from writing on My Wife and Kids to becoming a breakout star. Aja was raising their girls. Then, 2013 happened. That was the year the public found out Aja had a son, Xavier, with NBA legend Dwyane Wade.
The internet went wild. People were calling Xavier a "break baby," and suddenly, Damon Wayans Jr and Aja Metoyer were being Googled by everyone. Damon actually had to release a statement to TMZ back then. He basically said, "Look, I have nothing to do with Aja's situation." He made it clear they lived separate lives and his only priority was making sure his daughters didn't get hurt by the media circus.
It was a class act. But things wouldn't stay peaceful forever.
Why the Custody Battle Changed Everything
In 2018, the co-parenting relationship hit a massive wall. Damon headed to court to ask for primary physical custody of their daughters, who were then 13 and 15. This wasn't just a minor disagreement. The court documents were pretty blunt.
Damon claimed the girls were "suffering scholastically." He alleged they were habitually late or absent from school. One of the biggest sticking points? He claimed Aja took one of the girls on a cruise during summer school when she was supposed to be catching up on credits.
- The money issue: Damon questioned how his child support was being spent.
- The sibling dynamic: He alleged the girls were often left alone to care for their younger brother, Xavier.
- The "Gag Order" rumors: On Basketball Wives, Aja couldn't talk about Wade, which allegedly frustrated producers, but she was very vocal about her drama with her own sisters.
Aja didn't take the claims sitting down. She fired back, suggesting Damon's sudden interest in more custody was actually a move to pay less child support. She even pointed out the timing—Damon was just launching his new show Happy Together at the time. It was messy. It was public. And it showed just how strained the "childhood sweetheart" bond had become.
Where They Stand in 2026
Fast forward to today, and the dust has mostly settled. Amara Wayans is now an adult, a model, and an actress. She’s even been working alongside her dad and grandfather, Damon Wayans Sr., on the show Poppa's House. Seeing the Wayans' third generation take the stage is kinda wild, but Amara has clearly inherited the family's work ethic.
Damon has moved on significantly in his personal life. He married Samara Saraiva in 2016, and they have a full house now. In total, Damon is a father of six. He’s managed to balance a massive blended family while keeping his career on an upward trajectory, recently focusing on his first major stand-up special and new projects with his New Girl co-stars.
Aja has largely stepped away from the reality TV spotlight. After her season on Basketball Wives, where she famously clashed with her sister Cristen over some pretty personal family business, she’s kept a lower profile.
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The dynamic between Damon Wayans Jr and Aja Metoyer serves as a reminder that even "Hollywood" families deal with the same stuff everyone else does: school attendance, child support arguments, and the struggle to keep kids grounded when their parents are in the news.
Moving Forward: Lessons in Co-Parenting
If you're following this story because you're navigating your own co-parenting hurdles, there are a few takeaways from the Wayans-Metoyer saga.
- Documentation is key. When Damon went to court, he didn't just have feelings; he had school records. If you're worried about a child's progress, keep the paper trail.
- Separate the drama from the kids. Even during the height of the Dwyane Wade scandal, Damon's public stance was always focused on the daughters' well-being.
- Blended families take work. With six kids and multiple co-parenting relationships, Damon has had to navigate a lot of moving parts. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about showing up.
The best thing you can do if you're in a similar spot is to prioritize the educational and emotional stability of the children over any personal grievances with an ex. Focus on building a routine that survives the "he-said, she-said" of a breakup. Check your local family court resources for mediation services if communication has completely broken down, as it did for Damon and Aja back in 2018.