In the latest leaked phone call between Shirley Strawberry and her jailed husband Ernesto Williams, Shirley says she can’t afford to buy shoes because she spent all her money on his legal fees.
In the phone call from October 2022, Shirley is more stern with Ernesto. She tells him to get his life together when he’s released from jail.
“But, yeah, when you get outta there we gotta just get all this stuff in order. This is just too much, too much,” Shirley told Ernesto. “You can’t be moving like you’re moving and your stuff isn’t in order, you know?”
“That’s why you got picked up because you had warrants,” Shirley said. “We’ve been married 8 years. You’ve been to jail – what – three times in 8 years? You’ve gotta get this stuff taken care of… It’s a lot on me — it’s a lot on you too, I know, but this is a lot.”
Shirley then tells Ernesto she can’t buy a pair of shoes because she’s “running out of money.”
“Well, what you been doing?” Ernesto asks her.
Shirley says she’s running out of cash “paying for you… I’m not rich!”
In an emotional “Strawberry Letter” on The Steve Harvey Morning Show last week, Shirley revealed she filed for divorce from Ernesto.
The audio below also includes phone calls between Ernesto and “Sonya,” his side chick in Miami. Ernesto reportedly called Sonya 92 times from jail, while only calling his wife 57 times between Oct. 2022 and April 2023.
Shirley’s story is a cautionary tale for Black women who have a savior complex: the need to “save” Black men, fix their problems and support them financially.
