When it comes to his engagement, Marques Houston doesn’t “have anything to hide.”
The actor, 38, turned to Instagram on Thursday to fire back at trolls who have criticized his nearly 20-year age difference with fiancee Miya Dickey, 19.
The relationship sparked controversy on social media when people began to question whether he actually started dating Dickey when she was of legal age, E! News reported.
One tweet read: “Can someone please explain why Marques Houston, a 38 year old geezer, is engaged to a 19 year old girl who he allegedly knew before she was 18? They announced they were in a relationship 11 days after she turned 18 last october, and now comments on the pdfile’s insta are limited.”
The comment has garnered over 8K retweets and over 17K likes.
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“With all that’s going on in the world, my love life shouldn’t be a topic,” said the “Sister, Sister” star to his 1 million followers. “But since it is let me just give y’all all the facts so you dont have to ‘allegedly’ believe or create rumors… I felt with this situation I needed to speak because this is not music or television, this is my family, my future wife and my life.”
According to Houston, he was introduced to Dickey in 2018 through his manager Chris Stokes’ daughter, Chrissy Morales, at a Jehovah’s Witness convention. They remained friends until she turned 18 in September.
“I met Miya in 2018 through a mutual friend,” he explained. “Never before then, did I even know she existed. The fact that she was listed on one of our films was a misprint or someone being messy. Anyone can post on IMDB. And there’s no way someone that young could even work on a film set in the position of Art Directer [sic] because that position requires years of experiences.”
“Miya is like a daughter to Chris Stokes because we are all like family,” he continued. “Being a Jehovah’s Witness, we all showcase true love like family. That’s it. Chris’ real daughter, Chrissy Morales became friends with Miya in 2018, where we all first met Miya at a Jehovah’s Witness convention. It was then that Chrissy and Miya became friends. Miya and I didn’t start dating until she was an adult. We fell in love and got engaged in March of 2019.”
Houston clarified that not only his family and loved ones accept the relationship but “most importantly we have Jehovahs blessing.”
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“There is so much more to be concerned about in the world, than creating rumors about me,” he said. “No one ever gets facts anymore, they just run with ‘stories’, but hey, I guess it comes with the territory. So to all the rumors about me, none of it is true! And that’s the story. No twists, no turns, no scandals, just true love. There is nothing that can come to light, because there’s no darkness in my life.”
Houston explained he’s only addressing the controversy because he wanted to set the record straight once and for all.
“You wanted the truth,” he said. “I don’t have anything to hide, so if you’re waiting for something else, you will be waiting for ever. Please people focus on staying safe through this pandemic. And continue fighting for what you believe in, as long as it is true justice, and the fight is with love, not hate, because we all matter to God and I put God first in all things. I love all who support me and thank you. I won’t let you down. I love y’all! Please and love, MH.”