Shakira said 'the husband was dragging me down' following Gerard Piqué split

She's so funny

Colombian musician Shakira and partner Kosmoa Founder and President, Spanish football player Gerard Pique attend the Davis Cup Presentation on September 5, 2019 in New York
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Shakira has had some choice words about ex Gerard Piqué over the years since their breakup, and some of these words are making the rounds online right now — because they're pretty striking.

During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in March, the singer explained why she finally had enough content to make a full album at that time — and released Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran.

"I’ve been putting out music here and there, but it was really hard for me to put together a body of work. I didn’t have time, because the husband factor," the singer explained. "Now I’m husband-less, but yeah, the husband was dragging me down. Now I'm free. Now I can actually work."

This of course triggered lots of laughs from the audience and Jimmy.

Elsewhere in the interview, Shakira explained that the title of her record translates as "women no longer cry."

"It's men's turn now," she said. "We've done that for too long, you know. For too long, we've been sent to cry with a script in our hands and without an end just because we're women. We have to conceal our pain in front of our kids, and from society. We have to heal in a certain way. And I don't think anyone is supposed to tell us how to heal."

She continued: "I think now women decide when to cry, how to cry, and until when."

Shakira on Reclaiming Her Resilience in New Album After Ex-Husband, Cardi B Collab and NYC Surprise - YouTube Shakira on Reclaiming Her Resilience in New Album After Ex-Husband, Cardi B Collab and NYC Surprise - YouTube
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Shakira and Gerard weren't technically married but as good as since they were together between about 2011 and 2022. They share sons Milan, 11, and Sasha, 9.

The "Waka Waka" singer has previously made similar comments, for instance speaking to The Sunday Times in March. She said: "For a long time I put my career on hold, to be next to Gerard, so he could play football. There was a lot of sacrifice for love."

Speaking to Marie Claire for our latest cover story, the international superstar explained how helpful the creative process was for her as she recovered from the contentious breakup: "It was like healing," she told us. "I was able to transform the pain and anger I felt into creativity, productivity and resilience."

And we're all the richer for it.

Iris Goldsztajn
Iris Goldsztajn is a celebrity and royal news writer for Marie Claire. As a London-based freelance journalist, she writes about wellness, relationships, pop culture, beauty and more for the likes of InStyle, Women's Health, Bustle, Stylist and Red. Aside from her quasi-personal investment in celebs' comings and goings, Iris is especially interested in debunking diet culture and destigmatising mental health struggles. Previously, she was the associate editor for Her Campus, where she oversaw the style and beauty news sections, as well as producing gift guides, personal essays and celebrity interviews. There, she worked remotely from Los Angeles, after returning from a three-month stint as an editorial intern for Cosmopolitan.com in New York. As an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles, she interned at goop and C California Style and served as Her Campus' national style and LGBTQ+ editor. Iris was born and raised in France by a French father and an English mother. Her Spotify Wrapped is riddled with country music and One Direction, and she can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.