Photo: Getty
Can't keep up with these two!
By Elizabeth Ward — Written on Oct 15, 2020
Rappers Cardi B and Offset have had quite the wild ride since they first met 3-4 years ago. Cardi B announced that she had filed for divorce from Offset on Sept. 15, 2020; however nearly one month after announcing their divorce, she took to Instagram Live to reveal that she and Offset are back together. Between their secret marriage, the birth of their first child together and his infidelities, and more, a lot of drama has surrounded the couple — and they certainly don't shy away from sharing intimate details of their relationship with the public, especially on Instagram and Twitter.
Cardi B and Offset back together: their full relationship timeline:
Read on for all the juicy details about the couple who just can't seem to quit each other.
Cardi B and Offset met for the first time somewhere around late 2016 or early 2017, at his request.
Offset, 28, whose real name is Kiari Kendrell Cephus, grew up in suburban Gwinnett County, Georgia. He, his cousin Quavo and his nephew Takeoff formed hip hop and trap group Migos, aka the Migos, in 2008.
During an interview in early 2018, he confessed that he was interested in Cardi B before they even met, sharing how he'd watched her career takeoff: “I was like, ‘Damn, I am on her!’"
Born in Manhattan and raised in the Bronx to a Dominican father and Trinidadian mother, Cardi B, 28, whose real name is Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar (Cardi is a play on rum brand Bacardi), left her days as a stripper behind her after she gained popularity through viral posts on Instagram and Vine. In 2015, she joined the cast of VH1's "Love & Hip Hop: New York," which she left in December 2016 to pursue a career as a solo artist in music.
Offset asked his publicist to set up a dinner with Cardi B and a few other women, and a romance between the two was born.
The couple's first collaboration was released just prior to their first date at Super Bowl LI.
Soon after the aforementioned dinner, Offset collaborated with Cardi on the track "Lick" for her second mixtape "Gangsta Bitch Music Vol. 2," which was released on January 20, 2017.
Asked about the concept behind the song, Cardi explained, "You know, when you catch a lick is like when you catch a big comer, like when you made a big check or like, when you just you just make something that you wasn't expecting to do but it goes to your benefit. And that's what happened with my life. I caught a lick."
The two have now collaborated on an additional six tracks to do date — "Um Yea" (also in 2017), "Who Want the Smoke," "MotorSport" and "Drip" in 2018, and "Clout" and "Came A Long Way" in 2019.
At the time, Cardi had previously insisted she was waiting loyally for her then-boyfriend to be released from prison, where he was serving time on gun charges.
But less than a month later, Offset took her to Super Bowl LI for their first date, which he's since referred to as "a power move."
During the game, Offset briefly went live on Instagram, setting the gossip mill aflame with rumors of a relationship between the two.
Cardi confirmed their relationship status in an Instagram post on Valentine's Day 2017 — then deleted it.
On February 14, Cardi seemed to confirmed the budding relationship when she shared the same video of the two at the Super Bowl, referring to Offset as "babe" in the caption.
But for reasons she appears not to have disclosed, she later deleted the video from her account.
The two continued to play coy over the next several months, both rappers refusing to confirm or deny their romance during multiple interviews.
Cardi B lashed out on Instagram after Offset was spotted with Amber Rose in April 2017.
Despite their unconfirmed relationship status, Cardi went off in a videotaped rant after Offset was spotted checking out Amber Rose at a club in Orlando hours before the model attended a Migos concert — and was later seen leaving the venue a car with Offset.
“I’m a female,” Cardi said, “I know when b—s do sh— trying to be f—ing funny.”
They hit a Met Gala after party together in May 2017.
Regardless of the drama with Rose, the two were spotted looking "smitten" with each other at the 1Oak Met Gala after party on May 1.
Cardi confirmed she and Offset were dating in August 2017 while shooting down engagement rumors.
During a red carpet interview with MTV News correspondent Meredith Graves at the VMAs, Cardi said, "Well, I am dating a sexy chocolaty thang-thang-thang, but you know what I'm saying, the rumors, I don't think they're right because I don't got nothing on this finger. But you wanna know something? When time come he'll put it there."
And the following month, the two were spotted showing plenty of PDA during New York Fashion Week.
The couple were secretly married in September 2017.
On September 20, 2017, Cardi and Offset filed a marriage certifcate in Fulton County, GA.
But the public remained in the dark about their newly legal relationship status until TMZ got hold of the official document in June 2018.
In the meantime ...
Offset proposed to Cardi onstage one month later in October 2017 (even though they were already married).
Offset got down on one knee and proposed to Cardi onstage at Power 99's Powerhouse concert in Philadelphia.
Cardi shared the news on her Instagram by posting a photo of her 8-carat engagement ring.
“Jesus Christ I’m so emotional, @offsetyrn I loveee you so much,” she captioned the since-deleted photo. “Thank you for seeing the potential in me since you met me. For giving me advice molding me and loving me ... I can’t wait to spend FOREVAAAA with you. Lets make a lot shmoney and love together.”
A December 2017 iCloud hack revealed video of Offset cheating.
Performing days later, Cardi told fans, "I let a n— know though ... you pull that sh— again, you gonna lose your wife." (Not that anyone knew they were married yet, but more on that's still coming.)
Then a second video of Offset with the same woman was leaked in January 2018.
Offset quickly responded ... by having Cardi's name tattooed on his neck on January 14.
In an interview featured on the cover of Cosmopolitan, the rapper defended herself against criticism for staying with Offset in spite of rumors of his cheating.
"It’s like everybody is coming down my neck like, ‘Why are you not leaving him? You have low self-esteem.’ I don’t have low self-esteem," Cardi insisted. "I know I look good. I know I’m rich, I know I’m talented. I know I could get any man I want—any basketball player, football player. But I want to work out my shit with my man, and I don’t got to explain why. I’m not your property. This is my life ... I’m going to take my time, and I’m going to decide on my decision … It’s not right, what he f—ing did — but people don’t know what I did, ’cause I ain’t no angel.”
Cardi announced her pregnancy while performing on Saturday Night Live in April 2018.
Cardi stunned everyone with her performance of "Be Careful" as the musical guest on SNL.
Strategic camera angles and lighting focused all eyes on Cardi from the shoulders up for the first half of the song, then slowly panned back to reveal her adorably very pregnant belly in a form-fitting white Christian Serriano gown.
Back to those wedding bells! News of their marriage finally broke in June 2018.
Hours after TMZ released documentation proving she and Offset had officially been married for the past nine months, Cardi turned to Twitter to explain their reasons for keeping information about their marriage private.
"This why I name my album 'Invasion of privacy' cause people will do the most to be nosey about your life," she wrote. "Welp f— it."
The day before, Offset himself accidentally tipped everyone off. When accepting the BET Award for Best Group with Migos he said, "I thank my wife. You should thank yours."
One month later, in July 2018, baby Kulture was born.
The couple welcomed their baby girl on July 10, 2018.
Cardi announced the news via Instagram, sharing a photo of her (still pregnant) self lying nude in bed of flowers with the caption, "Kulture Kiari Cephus 07/10/18 @offsetyrn."
Offset has three older children from three previous relationships — sons Jordan and Kody and daughter Kalea.
On their first wedding anniversary, Cardi shared this picture from their secret wedding ceremony.
With the cat out of the bag and Kulture in the world, Cardi finally let Instagram followers in on this special private photo.
Sadly, in December 2018, Offset and Cardi broke up once again.
In early December, Cardi announced on Instagram that she and Offset were splitting up, saying simply, "Things haven’t been working out between us for a long time."
Summer Bunni, a model featured in the video for 6ix9ine, Murda Beatz and Nicki Minaj colab “Fefe,” came forward in a video she asked TMZ to share in hopes Cardi would hear her apology and reconcile with Offset.
“I have not messed with Offset since he’s had his baby,” Bunni said. "I'm very sorry that this has happened."
Offset took desperate measures to get Cardi back, interrupting her set as the first woman headlining at Rolling Loud with stage hands rolling in giant displays of red and white roses spelling out "Take me back, Cardi" before he apologized and declared his love in front of the screaming crowd.
Cardi wasn't having it, but she did ask fans on Instagram to take it easy on the man.
“I wanna say, thank you very much to you guys that been supporting me and loving me, that feel like they need to defend me,” she said. “Right, wrong or indifferent. I don’t want people to keep doing f— sh—, saying f— sh—. Violating my baby father is not going to make me feel any better 'cause at the end of the day, that’s still family.”
But in January of 2019, they called off the divorce.
TMZ broke the happy news that the couple called off their divorce on January 31, two days after Cardi shared a sweet picture of Offset kissing Kulture, which she captioned, "I wanna go home."
Sources said Offset put serious effort into proving he was changing his ways, "changing his phone number, in order to show Cardi he's serious about being honest and faithful ... the new digits are strictly for Cardi and business calls."
Additionally, the couple instituted a "no groupies" rule for Offset in order to ensure he remains faithful from now on.
After a relatively stable nine months, they shared sweet second anniversary messages on September 20, 2019.
The couple took to Instagram to exchange adoring sentiments to one another.
"Happy marriage anniversary hubby," Cardi shared. "We keep learning and growing. That's what marriage about."
For his part, Offset shared a video montage of the two, captioning it with this romantic statement: "Today is our anniversary nobody believed it was real. We got married without nobody knowing because it was only between us and God! Now we have beautiful Kulture and a big family. I love you 4ever and afterlife."
Offset presented Cardi with a 20 carat "Titantic" diamond ring as a birthday gift in November 2019.
In November, Offset gave Cardi a 20 carat heart-shaped diamond ring commissioned from Pristine Jewlers Avi Davidoff for her 27th birthday, along with a "smalled" eternity band of heart-shaped diamonds totaling and additional 25 carats.
TMZ notes her gift has been named the Titanic Diamond "for its size and similarity to the Heart of the Ocean rock from the movie."
Offset shared a video of himself presenting Cardi with new jewelry, along with the caption, "Titanic diamond, Happy birthday to my queen u deserve everything that come your way i love you and our family together."
Cheating rumors surfaced again in December 2019, but the couple stood by each other.
As December began, a woman named Jade, allegedly the girlfriend of rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine, posted a video on Instagram of a DM sent to her from Offset's account which read, “Miss u fr."
“Your wife @iamcardib has a OPEN CRIMINAL CASE," Jade wrote, "why are you writing me you don’t respect her ???????"
Cardi, however, remained unfazed, sharing her own video in which sat next to Offset and said, "“We’ve been so good, we had a sweet weekend, life has been good ... that’s why I ain’t getting no rowdy. Simple as that. Okay, love you guys.”
The criminal case in question revolves around an August 2018 incident in which Cardi allegedly ordered an attack on Jade and her sister and fellow strip club bartender Baddie Gi. In June 2019, Cardi was indicted by a grand jury on 14 charges including 2 counts of felony attempted assault with intent to cause serious physical injury, and misdemeanor charges of reckless endangerment, assault, criminal solicitation, conspiracy and harassment.
Cardi turned down a plea deal and instead pleaded not guilty at her arraignment. Her next court date is coming up soon on January 17.
The pair bought a $5.75 million mansion in Atlanta.
As is her way, Cardi shared a video walk-thru of their stunning new home with fans on Instagram.
The 22,000-square-foot Buckhead property is situated on 5.84 acres and includes five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, four half-bathrooms, an infinity pool, an 1800-bottle wine cellar, a four-car garage and a room with steel walls Offset reportedly intends to use as a gun range.
Figures vary widely, but as of the latest estimates, Cardi B's net worth is said to be somewhere around $24 million, and Offset's net worth may be as high as $26 million, so financially, at least, they seem to be on more than solid ground.
After a relatively low-key couple of months, the couple celebrated Mother's Day in quarantine.
Cardi posted a picture of herself with Kulture and Offset hanging out in their backyard while celebrating the holiday. They also celebrated Father's Day with all of Offset's kids a month later.
In August of 2020, Cardi B admitted that their realtionship has "drama."
"There’s always rumors about me and my husband, and I feel like people would rather start rumors because they want me to be heartbroken. They want me to be hurt," she said in an interview.
Nearly a month later, Cardi B filed for divorce from Offset.
On Sept. 15, 2020, Cardi B filed for divorce just a few days before their third wedding anniversary, saying that there's "no hope of working things out."
October 15, 2020: Cardi B and Offset are back on.
During an Instagram Live video, Cardi B revealed that she and Offset are back together. “A lot of people been harassing me. I’m just a crazy b****, people say I’ve been doing s*** for attention and this and that…" she said, adding that "one day she's happy" and the next, she's not.
"It’s really hard not to talk to your best friend," she continued. "“I don’t know, I’m just a crazy b****. People say I took him back because I’m materialistic."
Elizabeth Ward is a writing student finishing her bachelor’s at the University of Louisville. She covers news, entertainment, relationships and everything in between.