In 2006, a budding talent by the name of Stefani Germanotta found herself under the wing of Interscope Records, not as the pop sensation she would later become, but as a behind-the-scenes songwriter. Her pen crafted hits for some of pop music’s biggest names, including Britney Spears, New Kids on the Block, Fergie, and The Pussycat Dolls.

At that time, Akon, a singer and producer making waves in the music industry, was in the midst of finalizing tracks for his sophomore album, “Konvicted.” A serendipitous turn of events led a label executive to suggest Stefani for a reference vocal—a guide track for how a song could sound. This chance meeting in the studio became a pivotal moment in pop culture history.

Upon hearing her voice, Akon was astounded by Stefani’s raw talent. Without hesitation, he headed straight to Jimmy Iovine’s office, urging him to sign this remarkable vocalist to Akon’s newly formed KonLive label—not as a songwriter, but as a performer in her own right.

With that, Stefani Germanotta transformed into the iconic Lady Gaga, a name now synonymous with global stardom. Under KonLive, she eclipsed all expectations, outshining other acts like Kardinal Offishall, Colby O’Donis, and T-Pain. By the time Akon relinquished his stake in her career back to Interscope in 2013, Gaga had already sold approximately 30 million albums and over 100 million singles worldwide.

Lady Gaga’s meteoric rise significantly bolstered Akon’s fortunes. Between 2008 and 2011, his earnings soared to an impressive $66 million—$12 million in 2008, $20 million in 2009, $21 million in 2010, and $13 million in 2011—much of it attributed to Gaga’s success. To date, Akon’s illustrious music career has likely netted him over $100 million, a testament to the transformative impact of that fateful studio session.

During the years Gaga was signed to Kon Live, Akon’s earnings skyrocketed. Between 2008 and 2011, he earned $66 million — $12 million in 2008, $20 million in 2009, $21 million in 2010, and $13 million in 2011 — largely thanks to Gaga’s success. In total, he has likely earned well over $100 million throughout his music career to date.

Akon has also poured millions into various ventures, including his ambitious but ill-fated Akon City project in Senegal. Still, after two decades of chart-topping hits and production deals, few would doubt that Akon remains a very wealthy man.

At least, that’s what his wife thought — until, according to a viral rumor, she discovered he only had $10,000 to his name. Or so the internet claims…

Akon and Tomeka Thiam (Photo by Gilbert Flores/ Billboard via Getty Images)

A Viral Twitter Rumor

Over the weekend, a rumor about Akon and his soon-to-be ex-wife Tomeka Thiam went extremely viral. Hundreds (probably thousands) of users on TikTok and Twitter have repeated a headline that claims Akon’s wife “just” filed for divorce (she actually filed in September 2025) and demanded €100 million in support—only to learn he only had $10,000. I don’t know why they all use Euros instead of USD in the headline, probably not a good sign for the authenticity of this rumor. Here’s one version from Twitter that has nearly 6 million views:

Akon’s wife, Tomeka Thiam, filed a divorce to part ways after 29 years of marriage and demanded €100m as compensation.

The court handling the case only found $10k in Akon’s account, as the singer’s wealth is sitting comfortably in his mother’s account. pic.twitter.com/1zEB4pPnNg

— Ọmọ Akin (@GuyMr0) October 12, 2025

“Pulling A Hakimi”

A second variation of the rumor claims Akon transferred all of his money into his mother’s name before filing for divorce, in a maneuver people online are calling “pulling a Hakimi.”

I had to Google this.

Apparently, back in 2023, an unverified story went viral claiming that during Moroccan soccer player Achraf Hakimi’s divorce, his actress wife Hiba Abouk discovered that all of his assets were legally held in his mother’s name. According to that viral claim, Hakimi’s wife allegedly asked for half of his property, only for the court to reveal that he “owned nothing” because his salary and assets were registered under his mother’s accounts. Social media users turned the tale into a cautionary meme, celebrating it as a clever “financial move” and dubbing it “pulling a Hakimi.” Here’s a version of the story that wracked up 23 million views:

Footballer Achraf hakimi’s wife filed for divorce and demanded half of his property

However , she was informed by the court that her ‘MILLIONAIRE’ husband owns nothing ,

As all his property is registered under his mother’s name.

// Thread // pic.twitter.com/ISDiVw76t5

— ELITE MASCULINE (@MasculineM7) July 8, 2024

However, that story was never proven true.

Major outlets including BBC, Le Monde, and Reuters confirmed there was no court record or official evidence that Hakimi’s assets were transferred to his mother. Hiba Abouk herself later clarified that while their separation was real, the viral “mother’s name” narrative was false and sexist, a complete invention by tabloids.

Fact Check: Did Akon Pull a Hakimi?

If “pulling a Hakimi” means someone made up a story to go viral on Twitter and TikTok, then YES, Akon pulled a Hakimi. If “pulling a Hakimi” means Akon put all of his money in his mother’s name before filing for divorce, no he did not do that. It’s a completely fake story, likely made up with the hope of going viral on Twitter and TikiTok to earn money from the social media platforms’ engagement bonus programs.

The Bottom Line

Akon’s wife did file for divorce — that part is true. Everything else in the viral “€100 million and $10k” story is completely false. There’s no evidence of a €100 million demand, and no indication his fortune vanished or was transferred into his mother’s name. For what it’s worth, we estimate Akon’s net worth to be $50 million. Considering he was married to Tomeka for the last 29 years, starting well before he was famous, it’s very likely she’ll get a large payout. When verified information is revealed through their divorce process, which may take years to unfold, we will report the facts, even if they are extremely boring will never go viral.

The bigger picture problem this story illustrates is what happens when social media companies (namely TikTok and Twitter) offer programs where users can get paid for virality and engagement. That system breeds fake news posts that go viral. It also breeds totally useless posts like this one where some Twitter use shared a screenshot of Steve Jobs’ daughter that she posted of herself to her own Instagram account, with the caption “Steve Jobs daughter btw”…

Steve Jobs daughter btw pic.twitter.com/RD9DgvKi66

— Zoomer (@zoomyzoomm) October 2, 2025

That dumb engagment bait post was viewed 130 million times on Twitter. And as a reward for taking a screenshot of a 27 year old girl’s Instagram account, want to know how muc Twitter paid this user, @zoomyzoomm? $11,511

HOLY FUCK pic.twitter.com/OkKxuGHWad

— Zoomer (@zoomyzoomm) October 11, 2025