‘I forgave her immediately’ – Vybz Kartel on wife’s infidelity during 13 years imprisonment

On February 25, 2025, excerpts from ‘The Drink Champs Podcast’ surfaced on X, where Vybz Kartel discussed his wife, Tanesha ‘Shorty’ Johnson’s cheating.

What struck netizens was how easily Vybz Kartel forgave his wife.

The Jamaican dancehall musician explained that he fully understood her actions and chose to be lenient because she had remained faithful for a long time before eventually being unable to continue.

He emphasised that his respect for her is still intact, stating that he “forgave” her as soon as he found out.

One of the reasons Vybz Kartel gave for easily forgiving his wife was that she had remained by his side despite everything that had transpired.

The musician said while he was in prison, she managed all his affairs and that there were times when he would call her to follow instructions and handle things on his behalf.

Vybz Kartel said his wife remained supportive throughout his imprisonment.

“She was there right through, but come on, I am in prison for f**king 13 years; what do you expect her to do? Like, save the p**sy? I have been with her since before I got famous and rich, but like I said, you see, prison is dangerous because when you go to prison, sh*t gets weird.

“And like I said, she held it for years, and then she couldn’t hold it anymore,” Vybz Kartel said.

He added, “I still respect her because I understand she is a human being… I forgave her immediately because I understand, but I just had to move on.”

On how he discovered, he said another woman, with whom he shares a child, informed him. However, he chose not to disclose her identity.

“I was in prison crying…The other baby mum that told me, the snitch, she told me,” Vybz Kartel revealed.

Meanwhile, Vybz Kartel said he has moved on with his life and is separated from his wife.

He is currently in a relationship with a Turkish woman, Sidem Öztürk.

The Jamaican dancehall musician was arrested on September 29, 2011, for alleged possession of an illicit drug.

Shortly after that, the Major Investigation Taskforce also charged him with the alleged murder of Jamaican businessman Barrington Burton.