Teyana Taylor and Iman Shumpert Co-Parent Their 2 Daughters, Junie and Rue
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Teyana Taylor holds almost every creative title you can think of: singer, songwriter, actor, choreographer, director — you name it. But perhaps her most treasured role is being a mom of two. Along with estranged husband Iman Shumpert (the pair are currently separated), the two are "one hell of a team" who co-parent their beautiful daughters and mini-me's, Junie and Rue.
Taylor and Shumpert — who went public with their romance in 2014 before tying the knot on Oct. 1, 2016 — welcomed their first child together in December 2015, followed by their second roughly five years later. Since then, the family of four have shared non-stop glimpses into their lives, from red carpet appearances and big stag performances to their sweetest moments posted on social media.
Taylor raved about her girls "getting big" when she spoke to People in April. "The babies are good," she shared, also joking that "my youngest is talking too much." The "A Thousand and One" star also spoke about motherhood back in 2021, telling Forbes that her daughters are her "best friends." "I love my babies," said Taylor. ". . . Even before I got to where I wanted to be, I knew that I would always have my kids with me everywhere I went." And she's kept her word, as the two were most recently seen onstage with her at Afropunk 2023.
Shumpert, meanwhile, has been candid about parenthood and raising his girls as well. In 2022, the NBA player said on "CBS Mornings" that the lessons he learned from his dad growing up proved that he had big "shoes to fill" as a father himself. "When I be having to do stuff for my daughter, I really do tap into what he did, what he stood for, how he moved," said Shumpert. He also shared that he felt "reborn" after the birth of his daughters, adding, "It's cool to be a dad. Being a good father is contagious."
Keep reading ahead to learn more about Taylor and Shumpert's girls and see some of their sweetest family photos.
Iman Tayla Shumpert Jr. (Junie)
Taylor and Shumpert's first child, daughter Iman Tayla Shumpert Jr., aka Junie, was born on Dec. 16, 2015. As many know, Junie was born on the pair's bathroom floor at home, where Shumpert delivered her himself. "It took two ten count pushes with my fiancé playing Dr and she entered this world into his bare hands!" Taylor explained in an Instagram post at the time. "Eyes full of tears and barely able to speak to the emergency operator @imanshumpert tied a pair of red headphones around the umbilical cord and the ambulance made there grand entrance 5 min later . . . She has blown Christmas away! Our family is complete. Her blueprint will be unmatched. Welcome Iman Tayla Shumpert Jr. Mommy carried you. Daddy delivered you. #MeetTheParents we love you baby girl💂🏾🐞👶🏾."
From all of the former pair's photos of their oldest, it's clear that Junie has a huge, lovable personality. And per her appearances at her mom's live performances, it appears that Junie may soon follow in her performer footsteps. During Taylor's 2018 show in Seattle, a then-2-year-old Junie took the stage and absolutely stole the show — she even grabbed the mic and walked to the front of the stage while singing so that she could wave to her adoring fans. Then, during the Vegas stop of Taylor's 2022 "The Last Rose Petal" tour, Junie performed alongside her mom's background dancers with a tiny mic and matching red costume in tow. Maybe she'll hop on another track with Taylor in the future, like their "Come Back To Me" song off of the singer's "The Album" LP. Only time will tell!
Junie is also a proud big sister who, apparently, takes her role very seriously. When Taylor spoke about her second pregnancy with People back in 2020, she shared that Junie was so excited about her baby sister's arrival, she thought she was her baby! "We want to keep her as involved as possible because Junie clearly thinks that this is her baby," Taylor joked. She added: "Kids handle siblings differently. You have kids that are a little bit jealous. But she's so excited and preparing herself to be a big sister. She constantly kisses my stomach, she constantly talks to the baby. Even when we go to the store, she's like, 'Okay, mom, this is for the baby.'"
According to their parents' Instagram pages, Junie and Rue seem thick as thieves and you can't deny how utterly cute they are together. Don't believe us? Scroll away!
Rue Rose Shumpert
Taylor and Shumpert welcomed their second child, daughter Rue Rose Shumpert, on Sept. 6, 2020. Just like her older sister, the little one was born in her parents' bathroom at home. In his birth announcement video post, Shumpert wrote: "Now...when we buy homes, we always find a bathroom with great energy... but not in a million years would you be able to tell me we'd deliver both of our daughters in a bathroom without the assistance of a hospital! Our newest edition entered the world in the water and came out looking around and ready to explore!" The athlete added, "A healthy child. A little sister. Another daughter. Black love wins....again. Welcome babygirl...we love you!"
Since then, Shumpert and Taylor's youngest has been stealing their hearts while they've documented her life on her own personal Instagram page. For her third birthday, Rue had a "Ruechella"-themed party and got a sweet tribute from her dear mom. In an Instagram recap of the birthday bash, Taylor wrote, "Love Planted a rose and the world turned sweet… Thank you for YOU. Happy birthday to my love, my heartbeat, my world, my stylist, Mommas very smart, very funny, VERY VIRGO 😩😂 big girlllllll I love you boo @babyruerose 🌹🌹🌹#RU3chella."
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