Kriti Mehrotra
With Netflix’s ‘Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom’ and TMZ’s ‘Lamar Odom: Sex, Drugs, & Kardashians,’ we get a candid insight into the former athlete’s troubles and triumphs over the years. After all, whether it be his intense addictions, familial connections, romantic relations, or future intentions, he opens up about everything with a surprising sense of positivity in these two original productions. Thus, of course, his past involvement with Liza Morales gets a spotlight as well. If you wish to learn more about her and her current whereabouts, we’ve got the details for you.
Liza Morales and Lamar Odom Were High School Sweethearts
Although born in Manhattan into a Puerto Rican paternal family on May 10, 1979, Liza was primarily raised by her maternal side in Queens, New York. Her parents separated when she was young. That’s where she first came across Lamar as an early teen in the ninth grade, only to be “completely taken in by his wit, charm, and that devastating smile he so easily flashed at anyone he met.” The fact that he lost his mom at age 10 and his dad was an addict also brought them closer as they bonded over hailing from broken homes, leading to them starting to date in their junior year.
Liza has actually been deemed Lamar’s first love, considering the family they built while he pursued his NBA dream, despite having never tied the knot. The truth is, they happily welcomed three children into their lives — Destiny (born 1998), Lamar Jr. (born 2002), and Jayden (born December 15, 2005) — and also got engaged in 2000, yet even their world wasn’t perfect.
“We talked about marriage a lot during those days, but Lamar would always tell me that NBA marriages never lasted,” Liza once revealed. “He told me he wanted to leave the game early, and then the timing would be perfect for us. I listened to the many reasons why we weren’t married yet and believed them, knowing deep inside something wasn’t right… I struggled to deal with all the groupies around him and with whatever else that was going on, [but I] just stayed put.”
Liza Morales and Lamar Odom Split Up Shortly After Their Youngest Son’s Death
Liza and Lamar’s relationship shattered in 2006 after Jayden passed away at 6½ months from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). As per her accounts, while she was heartbroken, he allegedly stepped out of their marriage and continued his drug abuse. According to the aforementioned show, she then found out he’d been involved with another woman long-term, driving her to walk away for good — she couldn’t handle the loss, infidelity, and drug addiction all at once.
It’s imperative to note that since the couple was in the public eye, Liza took the opportunity to appear in the VH1 reality special ‘Starter Wives Confidential’ in 2013 to set some records straight. Plus, she has since even served as a cast member on season 9 of ‘Basketball Wives’ to continue moving forward in her life while also providing for her loved ones to the best of her abilities.
Liza Morales and Lamar Odom’s Relationship Has Been Contentious in Recent Years
Liza was primarily a stay-at-home mother while her kids were young, but her proud stints on reality television and her other ventures indicate she has since worked hard to establish a name for herself. We mention this because she was embroiled in a vicious child support battle against her former partner in 2021, wherein his response to her accusation of not paying was a remark on her work.
Liza’s attorney claimed Lamar stopped paying the court-decided child support in June 2020 and has been violating their 2015 agreement from nearly the moment it was ordered in place. They added that despite the fact that both Destiny and Lamar Jr. are now adults, the former athlete is required to pay nearly $6,000 a month in support, college fees, as well as premiums for a life insurance plan until the latter graduates. A judge eventually sided with Liza, which is when Lamar responded to the matter through a since-deleted Instagram post, starting with, “I was never married to my kids’ mother.”
He continued, “I took care of her from the second she became pregnant, and even after I was married, I still paid her bills. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE for a GROWN ASS WOMAN!! Once my children became adults, my duties were done! I told her to GO TO WORK! MOVE into an affordable home, she didn’t listen, and that is NOT on ME!” Lamar then added, “To Liza who… expect a handout, who lie and manipulate their children, who use their children as pawns, who creates stories and scenarios to attract attention, may you seek healing and counseling for your brokenness — you need it.”
Liza Morales is a Mental Health Advocate and Author
As per reports, Liza was planning to move out of the family’s $5,000-a-month New York apartment and settle down in Los Angeles, California, in 2020, but COVID-19 put a damper on her plans. Moreover, according to reports, she worked in the real estate world to make a stable, independent living for herself before serving in the New York City Department of Health.
As if this isn’t enough, Liza is an author now — the mental health advocate published her book ‘Cutting Trauma Ties’ in the spring of 2022, which also indicates the former couple doesn’t talk anymore. There reportedly isn’t any active feud or continued bad blood between them, but third parties, their children, and lawyers are their sole means of communication.
Liza now makes sure to talk not just to her children but also to the world about the significance of mental wellness, in hopes of erasing all stigma around it. She has reportedly struggled with anxiety and depression herself, which she claims stemmed from the pain of losing her son. “The trauma [of Jayden’s death] never goes away,” she once said. “You constantly have to work on yourself when it comes to loss and depression… I’m still trying to figure out who I am … I don’t know if I’ll ever really know, but that’s something I’m constantly discovering. And I’m growing throughout all of these experiences — that’s a silver lining.” Today, it appears she has managed to move to California, where she is building a good life for herself, all the while maintaining her distance from the limelight. She still shares a tight bond with her children.
Read More: Where Are Lamar Odom’s Kids Now? How Did His Son Jayden Die?
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