Sara Stokes is a singer who became famous in Diddy’s Da Band, has emerged as one of the winners of his Making The Band competition. Her story is a very sad one, looking into her life brings to reality how nobody under the face of the earth can be trusted.
But it was those who were pretty close to her and who she adored. And looked up to that ended up being the ones to shatter her world and causing her unimaginable pain.
Apart from being a musical artist, she is also an actress. Although she has been successful in her professional life but has had many struggles in her private life. It would come to affect the former.
Who is Sara Stokes?
Sara Stokes was born on the 1st of June 1977 in the city of Detroit, Michigan. She is currently 47 years old.
Though not much information exists about her mother, she is said to have a sister named Roddy. It is not clear if her mum was married to her father when they had her. However, she is said to have a stepmother whom she lived with for a while when living with her mother was hell.
She met her father for the first time when she was 5 years old in a market store. She studied at the Michigan College of Beauty before she began pursuing her music and acting career.
Sara featured in movies and show like 8 Mile, The Many, The Enemy, and Facade; Chapter 4. Her rise to fame was from competing on the second series of Making The Band in 2002 as a member of Da Band. she has now become the regular face for the BET reality series The House Of Divas.
She Was Abused By Her Mother’s Boyfriend At 5
Sara has been in and out of prison, one would think she is just self-destructive without really knowing her full story. She grew up in a poor home with her mother, her sister, and her mother’s boyfriend and as a child. She would go hungry for days; the only good food she had was the one she got from school.
She grew up seeing her mother’s boyfriend beat up her mother. And from that early age, she started feeling inferior and would go to any length to do things in other to be loved.
At age five, she was sexually abused by her mother’s boyfriend. When she finally told her mother that she was being tickled between her legs her mother felt powerless. And didn’t do anything about it, her sister said that he threatened to kill their mother and would beat her up mercilessly.
Her Biological Father Also Abused Her
Not long after the abuse started her mother introduced her to her father, Jay Christopher Miller, at a departmental store. And from that moment she loved and adored him.
Sara soon developed a relationship with her father and then moved in with him and his wife. She told her father’s wife about the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother’s boyfriend.
When she was 12 years old her father whom she loved and respected so much abused her sexually too. According to her she felt hurt and betrayed for she never expected that from him.
As the years passed by young Sara Stokes endured abuses at the hands of her father both sexually and physically. She would wear baggy clothes to cover her scars and bruises. And even when asked, she would lie and say she fell or something.
Stokes had good clothes, ate regularly, and had dolls to play with, but she was suffering greatly. And so she finally ran away from her father’s house but he went after her and brought her back with him.
She finally ended up in a youth shelter called THE HARBOR. While there she became depressed and the only thing that could cheer her up were songs amongst which was Mariah Carey’s Hero.
Her Father Was Jailed For Sexual Molestation
In 2017, the law caught up with her father, Jay Christopher Miller who was sentenced to 30 years in prison for molesting another child. 63 years old at the time, Miller pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a minor under age 13.
And a single count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, second offense. For the offense, he might be behind bars until 82 years old before his first chance at going out.
It was a bitter-sweet experience for the singer to see her father put away because he was still her father. The regret for her was that people did not listen to her when she spoke. And that was why he was able to do the same thing to another child.
She Married Tony Stokes When She Was 19
When she was 17 years old she met her husband Emanuiel “Tony” Stokes they dated for a while. And got married when she turned 19 after she had her first child. The union which was joined in 1996 produced three children; Gabriel, Eva, and Elijah Stokes.
In 2014, they decided to end their Turbulent marriage after Tony filed for a divorce, stating that”the object of matrimony have been destroyed.” This was not surprising to many as Da Band’s singer and her ex-husband were on each other’s throats. It happened for a good part of their 18 years together.
She is now married to Keith Darnell Rivers Jr. who has become famous by the name of Fashun Rivers. Since the marriage, she has now changed her name to Sara Rivers.
The couple has known each other before getting married. They got married on 28th February 2020.
According to her, this is the best moment of her life. And she wants to live for herself and be happy.
Her Ex-Husband Helped Her Start Her Career
After Sara married Tony Stokes, he discovered she could sing and he made it his job to get her talent out there for the world to see. He got her gigs, took her to parties and places she could meet top producers.
And fortunately, in 2001 she landed a spot as an extra on the movie 8 Mile. A year later, Tony Stokes got Sara an audition for an MTV reality show called Making The Band 2.
After the show, Diddy went on to sign Sara and Da Band; her fame spiraled from there. While she kept busy doing what she loved, her husband stayed home for two years to take care of their kids.
The Gradual Fall Of Sara Stokes
In 2004 just as the band was beginning to make waves and working on its second album Diddy dropped them from the label. This marked the beginning of her troubles and woes.
Sara Stokes started feeling depressed and would try to drink herself to death. She even attempted suicide by trying to cut her wrist and swallowing pills and according to her, her life spiraled out of control.
The singer was said to have fallen and busted her head and had a blackout. And her husband somehow got stabbed in the arm.
Two years later her husband Tony allegedly choked and beat her. Then again in 2014, she had a fight with her husband. And went to jail the second time for 93 days for violating her probation.
Since the singer got out of jail she has been to counseling and is trying to put her life back together. She decided to put the past behind her, and move on.
She has recently released a new R$B single “Fragile Heart”. And is working with Gilbert Daniels on a documentary about her life experience.
See Also: Tonight Alive’s Jenna McDougall Suffers From An Eating Disorder- 10 Intriguing Facts
Attempt At Helping Rape Victims
Since telling her story, Sara Stokes has gotten involved in a fundraising effort. And it is to test more than 10,000 abandoned rape kits in a Detroit Police Department storage unit. She alongside others has raised $7,500 for the African American 490 challenge.
