Updated: July 27, 2026
Venus Morris Griffin is known today as a powerhouse real estate agent, author, motivational speaker, and single mother of seven from Augusta, Georgia. But many people still search for details about her husband after her powerful Humans of New York story went viral. The truth centers on her first husband, John Evangle “Tripp” Morris III, and the devastating secrets that ended their 20-year marriage.
Table of Contents
Meeting Tripp Morris and Building a Family
Venus and Tripp met as college students at the University of South Carolina. He was tall, charming, and served as a fraternity president. They married on August 14, 1993, and settled in his hometown of Augusta. Together they had six children.
From the outside, they looked like the picture of success—a stay-at-home mom raising kids while her husband worked. Venus has described how she focused on creating a stable, faith-filled home. Yet signs of trouble appeared early, including mood swings and controlling behavior that grew worse over the years.
The Shocking Revelation That Changed Everything
In 2010, while Tripp was out of town, Venus received a late-night phone call from a woman she did not know. The caller revealed that Tripp had been living a double life involving sex workers. Further investigation uncovered far darker truths, including sexual abuse within the family.
Tripp was charged with two counts of aggravated child molestation. He was sentenced to 45 years in prison. Venus, then a stay-at-home mother with children ranging from age one to fifteen, suddenly became the sole provider. The family faced hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, public scrutiny in their small Georgia community, and the collapse of the life she thought she knew.
She has spoken openly about the emotional toll, the loss of support from some friends and church members, and the moment she gathered her children to tell them the truth while promising they would not be defined by it.
Life After Tripp: Second Marriage and Becoming a Single Mother of Seven
After Tripp’s imprisonment, Venus rebuilt. She leaned into her real estate license, worked long hours, and rose to become one of Augusta’s top agents, with more than half a billion dollars in sales and nearly 2,000 closings. Running became a daily practice that helped her process the trauma.
She later married Hank Griffin, with whom she had her seventh child. That marriage ended around 2021. In a 2022 social media post, Venus shared that her second husband left after an argument; she filed for divorce shortly afterward. She has described him as a good man and noted that they remain committed to co-parenting. Her official website now identifies her as a single mother of seven.
Key Facts About Venus Morris Griffin and Her Husbands
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| First Husband | John Evangle “Tripp” Morris III |
| Marriage Date | August 14, 1993 |
| Children with Tripp | Six |
| Sentence | 45 years for aggravated child molestation |
| Second Husband | Hank Griffin |
| Children with Hank | One (total of seven children) |
| Current Status | Single mother of seven |
| Profession | Award-winning real estate agent, author, speaker |
Conclusion
Venus Morris Griffin’s story is not simply about who her husband was. It is about what happens when the foundation of a marriage and family collapses overnight—and how one woman refused to stay down. From stay-at-home mom drowning in debt to top-producing realtor, bestselling author of The Other Side of Perfect, and sought-after speaker, she has turned pain into purpose. She funds scholarships for students with an incarcerated parent and uses her platform to remind others that the hardest chapter does not have to be the last.