Fact-Check: Did Nat King Cole Leave His First Wife for Maria Hawkins?

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Divorces among prominent Black celebrities in 1948 were rare, expensive, and mercilessly scrutinized by the Black press, especially publications like the Chicago Defender, Jet, and the Pittsburgh Courier. Nadine Robinson did not exit quietly. She filed for divorce citing desertion and cruelty, demands that reflected her determination to secure fair equity from the empire she had helped Cole build from scratch.

The negotiations culminated in a substantial 1948 divorce settlement. Cole agreed to pay Robinson an estimated lump sum and property settlement worth over $45,000, equivalent to more than $580,000 today, which included their Los Angeles home, vehicles, and direct spousal maintenance. The final decree was granted in late March 1948.

The ink on the decree had barely dried when Cole took his next step. Exactly six days after the divorce was finalized, on March 28, 1948, Nat King Cole married Maria Hawkins Ellington. The lavish ceremony took place at Harlem's historic Abyssinian Baptist Church, officiated by prominent pastor and future congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Thousands of fans gathered outside the church on 138th Street to catch a glimpse of the newlyweds, cementing Cole and Maria as America's preeminent Black musical power couple.