The Republican congressman from Florida, Byron Donalds, has been charting a slow rise to prominence within the MAGA movement. But a new series of revelations from Donalds’ former wife has added to more controversy surrounding his run for governor, including a disappearing Jamaican accent.
In a recently published interview, Bissa Hall, who was married to Donalds from 1999 to 2002, opened up about their relationship, including the vanishing act of his accent after they got together.
“He absolutely did have a Jamaican accent when we first met; it was gone within a few days,” Hall said to the Daily Mail. “He said that he used the fake accent because he wanted to stand out; there were a lot of guys at our university from New York, but very few from Jamaica.”
Hall also shared that the two were married for financial reasons. But her hurt lies in how Donalds handled their split, particularly after meeting his current wife, Erika. “I was hurt that we had to divorce because she was pregnant,” Hall said, “particularly since he wouldn’t give me the divorce when I asked for it (which I did several times).”
Erika Donalds posted a picture of the two on Valentine’s Day. Her caption, detailing when the two met, confirms the overlap between the two relationships. Donalds, when contacted, didn’t deny faking a Jamaican accent or the other claims by Hall. “I wish I had handled that chapter differently,” he said in a statement.
The revelations have given more ammunition to Donalds’ competitor in the GOP primary for governor, James Fishback. Fishback, whose father was a Colombian immigrant businessman, has leveled racist attacks against Donalds online, including calling him a “slave” on social media. He promised to enact serious financial fines for adulterers after expressing sympathy for Brisa Hall.
Donalds currently leads Fishback in polling across the board by double digits, according to the New York Times. He has been a steadfast supporter of President Donald Trump, often appearing on news programs to rebut criticisms
of the administration. If elected, he would be the state’s first-ever Black governor.
