When Tasha Smith, the powerhouse star of Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married?, actually got married in real life, fans thought she’d finally found her leading man. She tied the knot with Keith Douglas (whose legal name is Rory Keith Douglas) back in December 2010. It was an intimate living room ceremony. Low-key. Personal. It felt like the kind of stable love story a woman who plays "tough" characters on screen really deserves.
But honestly? The real-life drama that followed made a Tyler Perry script look like a quiet Sunday afternoon.
The relationship between Keith Douglas and Tasha Smith didn't just end in a messy divorce. It ended in a rare, total legal erasure. We’re talking about an annulment based on a web of fraud so thick that a judge basically said the version of Keith that Tasha married didn't even exist.
The "Man of God" Who Wasn't
When they were courting, Keith presented himself as a pious, sophisticated man of faith. A preacher. Tasha, who has always been open about her own journey and values, was all in. She truly believed she was marrying a man of high moral character.
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The reality was a bit more crowded.
During their 2015 court proceedings, a laundry list of secrets came tumbling out. It turns out Tasha was actually Wife Number Six. He hadn't just been married before; he’d been married five times before her. At one point, he reportedly had two wives at the exact same time for a four-year stretch.
If you're keeping count, that's a lot of anniversaries to juggle.
The Courtroom Blowout
By 2014, things had turned toxic. It started with mutual restraining orders. Keith claimed Tasha was prone to "booze-fueled rages." Tasha countered with allegations of his infidelity and her own fear for her safety. She even brought in friend and actress Tisha Campbell as a character witness to back her up.
Initially, it looked like a standard—if nasty—divorce. Tasha was even ordered to pay Keith $7,000 a month in spousal support. Can you imagine? Paying $84,000 a year to a guy you're convinced is a con artist.
But Tasha didn't back down. She dug. Her legal team found out that Keith:
- Used multiple Social Security numbers (one allegedly belonging to a deceased woman).
- Hadn't paid income taxes in nearly a decade.
- Had a criminal record with felony convictions.
- Had more children than he’d ever disclosed to her.
In December 2015, Judge Patrick Cathcart did something pretty unusual in California law. He granted a full annulment. The judge's logic was straightforward: Tasha would never have become "Bride No. 6" if she knew the truth. Because the marriage was based on such "extensive dishonesty," it was legally deemed never to have existed.
The alimony? Gone. The legal connection? Nuked.
The Aftermath and Social Media War
Keith didn't go quietly. He hit back on Facebook and Twitter, claiming Tasha was the one with the issues. He called her "erratic" and "deceitful," even going so far as to blame her past struggles with addiction for the marriage's failure. He tried to appeal the annulment in early 2016, mostly to get that monthly check back, but the court wasn't having it.
Tasha, on the other hand, called the annulment a "miracle." She told Hollywood Today Live that she felt free. She even joked that, legally speaking, she’d only been married once before Keith, making the whole three-year ordeal a bizarre, expensive hallucination.
What You Can Learn From This Mess
Watching a celebrity relationship implode like this is voyeuristic, sure, but there are some real-world takeaways for anyone entering a serious partnership:
- Trust, but verify. It sounds cynical, but Tasha later admitted she started running background checks on people she dated after this. In the age of digital records, a quick search on public court portals can save you years of grief.
- Look at the finances early. If someone is hiding tax liens or has multiple Social Security numbers, they aren't just "bad with money." They’re hiding a lifestyle.
- The "Man of God" red flag. In many of these high-profile fraud cases, the perpetrator uses a veneer of extreme piety to shut down questioning. If someone uses religion as a shield whenever you ask for clarity, pay attention.
- Annulment is a high bar. If you find yourself in a situation involving fraud, know that an annulment is much harder to get than a divorce. You have to prove that the fraud goes to the "heart" of the marriage. Tasha won because the deception was so total—covering his identity, his past, and his legal status.
Tasha Smith has since moved on, focusing on her acting and her prolific work as a director. She’s living proof that even after a massive "what was I thinking?" moment, you can reclaim your life and your bank account.
To protect yourself in similar situations, always check public records for prior marriage licenses and civil judgments before co-mingling assets. If you suspect fraud, consult a family law attorney specifically about "nullity of marriage" rather than just standard dissolution. It’s a harder path, but as Tasha found out, it’s a much cleaner break.