Getty Kenya Moore and Marc Daly
Kenya Moore has been having a tense relationship with her ex-husband Marc Daly. While the couple are separated, the Real Housewives of Atlanta star has said that there is hope they could get back together.
“We are working to raise our child and be civil to each other for now,” she said during a recent appearance on the Wendy Williams Show. Read on to learn more about Daly, his career and his separation from Moore, which plays out on the current season of the reality series.
Here’s what you need to know about Marc Daly:
1. Daly & Moore Married In a Secret Ceremony In June 2017
Daly met Moore through a mutual friend in June 2016. When asked to recount their first date, Daly said that he knew Moore was “the one” right away. “How could I not know? Great heart, great person, love at first sight,” he gushed. Moore echoed Daly’s sentiments, and said that she had never felt so strongly for someone before.
“I’ve never experience a first date like this before. You know when you meet people, and you like them or have good chemistry with them but you don’t feel like the world has changed? I felt like the earth moved after our first date,” she told People Magazine. “I probably would have married him in 30 days, the feeling was that strong. But we wanted to wait and get to know each other and make sure it wasn’t an infatuation. We needed to make sure it was actually real.”
Daly and Moore kept their relationship a secret, so it came as a shock to many when they married in a private ceremony in June 2017. Moore said that she kept Daly’s identity a secret out of respect to him. “He didn’t sign up for this world, I did. Every time someone has been associated with me, they attack that person—immediately going after them, trying to bring them down and saying crazy things,” she reasoned. They tear people apart. And so for [Marc], he was like, ‘This is about me and you—it’s not about me or you.’ He just wanted it to be about our pure love and not about him.”
2. Daly & Moore’s Daughter Brooklyn Was Born In November 2018
Daly and Moore welcomed their daughter, Brooklyn Doris Daly, on November 4, 2018. Moore told People that Brooklyn’s name had special meaning for both her and Daly. “Brooklyn because that’s where we met and fell in love, and Doris after my grandmother who passed away last year and who raised me,” she revealed.
Moore experienced some difficulties during her pregnancy, but that giving birth to a healthy child is something she had always wanted. “I’ve waited 47 years for this moment,” she revealed. “I didn’t really want to announce it too soon because I feel it’s very early on in our pregnancy. But I have suffered so much in my life when it comes to wanting a family around me. So this is the day I’ve been waiting for my entire life. It’s a dream come true.”
Moore said that Daly was equally thrilled to be a father. “He’s thrilled! He’s just so happy,” she revealed. “He gave me a big hug and a kiss and then he started to just kind of make jokes. That’s just his personality. He’s a fun-loving, happy person.”
3. Daly Worked As a Banker Before He Became a Successful Restuaranteur
Daly has held down a number of different positions. He worked at Credit Suisse First Boston and then CitiBank, where he eventually worked his way up from investment banker to Vice President. Just Richest reports that Daly spent a decade working in the banking sector, but ultimately decided to step away from it to pursue his true passion: food.
Daly has since embarked on a successful career as a restauranteur. He founded SoCo, a popular Brooklyn restaurant that specializes in Southern fusion. “The menu at SoCo is Southern Fusion, a new cuisine yet to make its mark on the New York dining scene,” the website reads. “The group describes southern fusion as a mixture of cajun/creole, barbecue and soul food dreamt up with everything else you can imagine.”
“The goal of the menu, executed by Chef Kingsley John, is to stay true to the flavors of southern food, yet experiment and break all misconceptions about the genre,” the site adds. “Our cocktail menu focuses on modern takes on classic cocktails. SoCo also boasts an extensive beer list featuring beers from different American micro-breweries.”
4. Daly & Moore Announced Their Separation In September 2019
On September 19, 2019, Moore announced that she and Daly had split up and decided to file for divorce. “It is with profound sadness that I regret to inform my fans that I am divorcing my husband Marc Daly. Due to recent and ongoing circumstances, I can no longer continue in the marriage,” her statement read. “My sole concern and focus is and will always be my daughter, Brooklyn, my miracle baby. She was made in love and true commitment. I ask for our privacy to be respected moving forward.”
Daly issued a statement of his own, where he asked that Real Housewives fans allow for privacy and respect the wishes of both Moore and himself. “I have come to the difficult decision to separate from Kenya at this time. Our daughter has two parents that love her very much and in her best interests, this situation should remain as private as possible,” he wrote.
“I cherish our family’s good times together and will continue to co-parent in a loving way. Rumors, innuendo or false accusations only serve to hurt our family and will be addressed through counsel as the law permits,” Daly added. “Please respect our privacy during this challenging period.”
5. Moore Hopes They Can Reconcile Despite Rumors of Daly’s Infidelity
After their separation was made public, Daly was accused of being unfaithful to Moore during their marriage. “Marc has had multiple affairs on Kenya,” a source told Us Magazine. “She walked away from her career for him and he had no problem with that and no problem disrespecting her.”
Neither Daly nor Moore have addressed the infidelity rumors. That said, the latter has talked about a possible reconciliation. “I didn’t get married to quit. I love my husband. I don’t doubt that he loves me,” she admitted to People. “Let me be clear, I took my vows seriously. I believe in for better and for worse and I believe in trying it all before you walk away, especially when we do have a child and we are a family.”
“I am hopeful, and have always wanted to work on our relationship. But I just don’t know if that’s even a possibility at this point, honestly,” Moore added. “Marc doesn’t seem to be there. I’d feel more comfortable calling it quits if I knew I’d tried everything and it still didn’t work. And we definitely didn’t do everything we could have done to save our relationship.”