The former wife of Rep. Byron Donalds is speaking out with unusual claims about the Florida Republican’s past, including an allegation that he once adopted a Jamaican accent to stand out in college.
Bissa Hall, who was married to Donalds from 1999 to 2002, told The Daily Mail that when they first met on campus at Florida A&M University, he spoke with what she described as a Jamaican patois accent. Hall said the accent quickly disappeared.
“He absolutely did have a Jamaican accent when we first met; it was gone within a few days,” Hall said. “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’s comments were part of a broader account of their early relationship. She told the outlet that their marriage was arranged for what she described as “financial reasons.” According to the report, the relationship ended after Donalds allegedly got his then-lover, now-wife Erika, pregnant. Hall said she and the congressman have not spoken in decades.
Donalds did not directly dispute Hall’s claims when contacted by The Daily Mail. Instead, he acknowledged regret about that period of his life, saying he wished he had “handled that chapter differently.”
The resurfacing of details from Donalds’ personal history comes as the Republican lawmaker continues to raise his national profile. Since his election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2021, Donalds has emerged as a vocal and loyal ally of President Donald Trump. He has frequently aligned himself with Trump’s policy agenda and messaging, becoming a recognizable figure within the MAGA wing of the party.
Now, Donalds is looking ahead to a new political challenge. He is running for governor of Florida in 2026, positioning himself as a conservative standard-bearer in a state that has become central to Republican politics. His campaign recently received a boost with an endorsement from Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, another prominent MAGA Republican.
Hall’s remarks add a personal dimension to Donalds’ public image at a time when his political ambitions are expanding. While the claims about the accent and the nature of their marriage are unlikely to shift policy debates, they introduce questions about authenticity and personal history that can follow candidates during high-profile campaigns.
Donalds has chosen not to engage point-by-point with his former spouse’s account, offering only a brief reflection on how he views that chapter of his life.
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