Smokey Robinson has been married to his wife, Frances Robinson (née Gladney), for over two decades.
The Motown singer met the interior designer in Los Angeles, but the pair were friends for years before they began dating. As an original member of the Miracles and one of the earliest singers to make the Motown sound known, Smokey has been in the spotlight since the early days of his career. Smokey and Frances kept their relationship private for years and got married in May 2002.
More recently, Smokey made headlines on May 6 when he was accused of sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, gender violence and creating a hostile work environment by four women who worked for him, according to a complaint filed to the Los Angeles Superior Court and obtained by PEOPLE.
Frances was also named in the lawsuit, as one of the plaintiffs claimed that Frances allegedly had “full knowledge of his prior acts of sexual misconduct” and “failed to take the appropriate corrective action” to prevent his “deviant misconduct.”
So who is Smokey Robinson’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Frances Robinson and her relationship with the Grammy Award-winning singer.
She and Smokey were friends for years
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Smokey Robinson and his wife Frances Robinson at an event to kick off MLB All-Star Weekend in July 2022.
In a 2023 piece for Pittsburgh Quarterly, Smokey revealed that he met Frances in L.A., and “we were just two people among a group of friends who hung out and celebrated holidays, birthdays, and so on, together.”
Although they’re 12 years apart in age, Smokey and Frances share the same birthday, February 19. For one of their celebrations, their friends took them out to a joint dinner, where both tried coconut shrimp for the first time. Afterward, they bonded over their new shared interest, which sparked a different connection.
“Frances and I were on the phone laughing and talking about our birthday party, when I said, ‘Hey, let’s go get some coconut shrimp,’ ” he recalled. “‘Sure,’ she said. That was the beginning for us, and I tell her all the time, ‘You do realize that I married you because of coconut shrimp.’ “
She and Smokey secretly dated before getting married in 2002
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Smokey Robinson and Frances Robinson at the Hollyrod 2023 Designcare Gala.
Smokey and Frances married in May 2002.
According to the artist, their romance was private from the start. Speaking with the Associated Press, Smokey explained that he and Frances were part of a longtime friend group, and she believed they would “start gossiping” about them if they found out.
“When we first started seeing each other, she wanted to keep it on the down-low. She didn’t want anybody to know because we were friends,” he said in April 2023. “And then all our friends were going to be talking about us.”
She has inspired Smokey’s music
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Smokey Robinson with Frances Robinson at the 2010 Friars Annual Gala.
Smokey has said that, even though he’s getting older, he has no intention of retiring from music, even releasing a new album in 2023 — and the song “I Keep Calling” was inspired by his courtship with Frances.
“My thoughts on it is that you can put it on and be with the person that you want to be with and just kick back and enjoy each other. It’s more of the idea of love,” he told PEOPLE in January 2023 about the project.
She redesigned their California home
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Smokey Robinson and wife Frances during ‘Ray’ Los Angeles Premiere.
Smokey and Frances sold the home they shared in Encino, Calif., ahead of their May 2002 wedding, according to the Orlando Sentinel. He spent about three years remodeling the five-bedroom house spanning 6,200 square feet. (The estate eventually became the home of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kyle Richards and her husband Mauricio Umansky, according to the Los Angeles Times.)
The couple moved into a mansion in Chatsworth, Calif., later that same year. Frances helped renovate the seven-bedroom, eight-bathroom home with her designs, per SFGate. She came up with the crystal and wrought-iron chandelier in the entryway, replaced marble floods with cherrywood and created an at-home theater.
The interior designer thought about her husband’s work as well when envisioning new spaces. “He writes in his office and could cut a record in the room if he wanted,” she said.
Frances also designated one of the bedrooms for just Smokey’s golf gear. After a few years, the pair listed the property in 2005, but Smokey still remembers her work.
“By trade, she is an interior designer — one of the best I’ve ever seen — and she’s done a great job with our homes in L.A., Las Vegas and Pittsburgh,” he wrote for Pittsburgh Quarterly.
She and Smokey launched a skincare line together
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Frances Robinson and Smokey Robinson attends the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards in February 2019.
In 2016, Smokey and Frances collaborated on a skincare line for people of color called Skinphonic, featuring “My Girl” products for women and “Get Ready” for men. “This is our first time [working together] and we’re definitely on the same page,” Smokey told the Associated Press.
“We did this very selfishly. We did this for ourselves in the beginning because my husband and I were using many products — and nothing worked,” Frances said about the skincare line that took two years to create.
Smokey has been health-conscious for most of his life, practicing yoga and following a vegetarian diet for over 40 years, but he struggled with skincare. “I go through a lot of things that are detrimental to skin. My job is grueling,” he added.
As of 2017, the Skinphonic’s Instagram account hasn’t been active.
They also make wine
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Smokey Robinson and Frances Robinson attend the 2017 Vanity Fair Oscar Party.
Frances’ hometown of Pittsburgh is the base of operations for Smokey Robinson Wines, which they launched in 2018. The project is the brainchild of Smokey and Frances’ friends, including Grapevine Ventures’ Bob Buzzelli and Louis Caputo, with photography from Engine House 25 Wines founder Duane Rieder.
The wines are made in California with Grapevine Ventures, and the vineyard’s owners say they “began discussing the creativity that goes into the winemaking process with Smokey and decided it would be an ideal project,” according to the brand’s website. “Smokey and his wife Frances loved the idea and knew this would be the perfect way to connect with his fans.”
Each of the wines is named after a famous song of Smokey’s, like the “I Second That Emotion” Cabernet Sauvignon and the “My Girl” Chardonnay.
Smokey was accused of sexual assault in May 2025, with his wife named in the lawsuit
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Smokey Robinson and wife Frances Robinson.
On May 6, four anonymous former employees filed a complaint to the Los Angeles Superior Court, accusing Smokey of sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, gender violence and creating a hostile work environment by four women who worked for him between 2006 and 2024, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE.
In the complaint, the plaintiffs — who are asking for a sum of no less than $50,000 in damages — claim that Smokey’s alleged sexual battery was “willful, wanton, and malicious, with a conscious disregard” of their “rights, privacy, and feelings.”
Frances was also named in the lawsuit, as one of the former employees claims Frances allegedly knew of his prior acts of sexual misconduct and didn’t prevent it from happening again.
The complaint also states that another employee was “forced to resign” due to Smokey’s “repeated sexual assaults and sexual harassment.” Meanwhile, a different plaintiff claims that the singer “raped” her from behind “at least 20 times,” and was later forced to resign.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
Read the original article on People
