Tyrese Gibson has revealed that one of his biggest R&B hits has an unexpected connection to Kim Kardashian’s marriage to Damon Thomas and her later relationship with Ray J.
During an appearance on The Kenny Burns Show, Tyrese said he lived with Kardashian and Thomas while working on his 2002 album, “I Wanna Go There,” which featured “How You Gonna Act Like That.”
“You know, I lived with Damon and Kim when I worked on that album,” Tyrese said. “I lived with them for three years.”
"I lived with Damon and Kim when I worked on that album."
— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) August 23, 2026
Tyrese reveals his classic hit song 'How You Gonna Act Like That' was inspired by Kim Kardashian making the s*x tape with Ray J while she was still married to music producer Damon Thomas, and says "it was inspired by… pic.twitter.com/zi72UT9kqG
Thomas, a producer and songwriter, received a co-writing credit on the track.
Tyrese also claimed he was around when Kardashian’s situation with Ray J unfolded.
“When everything happened with Ray J, I was there,” he said. After host Kenny Burns asked whether he meant he witnessed the tape being filmed, Tyrese quickly explained.
“No, no, no,” he said. “Meaning like, I was there whenever that sex tape happened.”
Tyrese called Thomas as “my brother” and said he witnessed events surrounding the couple’s relationship “in real time.”
When Burns mentioned that “How You Gonna Act Like That” ranked No. 51 on Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest R&B Songs of the 21st Century, Tyrese offered his surprising explanation for its theme.
“It was inspired by wondering, how did she act like that while she was with Damon?” he said.
