Lil Woadie and Fiancée Keyanna Beverly Under Fire as Gender Dynamics Fuel Debate

Seventeen-year-old rapper Lil Woadie and his 26-year-old fiancée, Ketanna Beverly (Keyanna Beverly), have reignited public fascination—and outrage—over their controversial relationship.

The couple’s nine-year age gap first went viral in August 2024, sparking heated debates that have now resurfaced, fueled by fresh social media attention.

The renewed discussion centers not only on their ages but also on the stark double standards in how such relationships are perceived when gender roles are reversed.

Lil Woadie, born Anthony Beverly in 2008 in Mobile, Alabama, is an emerging hip-hop artist who began making music at age 12, inspired by his late brother.

With over 84,000 Instagram followers (@liwoadie) and tracks like “Bah Boom” and “Green Goblin” available on Spotify and Apple Music, he has built a dedicated fan base.

Keyanna Beverly, 26, is a digital creator and entrepreneur whose August 2024 Facebook posts—showing her dropping Woadie off at school with captions like, “Anthony Beverly my baby first last day of school his senior year class of 2025”—first thrust the couple into the spotlight. Their engagement, announced on Instagram on January 1, 2024, with Ketanna showing her ring, further intensified public interest.

The central controversy lies in their age difference, with Woadie still a minor at 17 and Keyanna Beverly a fully grown adult. In Washington state, where they reside, the age of consent is 16, making the relationship legal. Still, the ethical questions surrounding an adult woman dating a teenage boy have sparked intense debate.

Social media reactions are sharply divided: some defend the couple, citing mutual consent and parental approval—commenting, “Love knows no age, they’re happy!”—while others are deeply critical, calling Ketanna a “predator” or “groomer.” One post read, “This is crazy, she’s 26 and he’s 16? Where are his parents? He’s being groomed!”

Much of the current conversation focuses on the perceived double standard. Critics argue that if the genders were reversed—a 26-year-old man with a 17-year-old girl—public outrage would likely be far more severe.

Dr. Daniel Rosen, a clinical psychologist, notes, “When the man is older, society tends to see it as exploitative due to power imbalances and historical patterns. With an older woman, it’s often trivialized or romanticized, but the developmental concerns remain.” Family law specialist Glenn D. Halterman adds, “Legality aside, a 26-year-old man with a 17-year-old girl would likely face harsher scrutiny, possibly even legal challenges if consent were questioned, highlighting a clear double standard.”

In a reversed scenario, many believe the relationship would be framed less as romantic and more as manipulative. Social media platforms would likely be flooded with terms such as “statutory rape” and “abuse,” with influencers, public figures, and possibly law enforcement weighing in. As one post put it, “If this was a 26-year-old dude with a 16-year-old girl, he’d be in jail by now, no question.”

Some locals in Alabama have claimed Woadie is actually older than reported, dismissing the controversy as clout-chasing, but credible sources confirm his birth year as 2008, making him 17.