Meet Ne-Yo's 4 Adorable Kids — Before He Welcomes Baby Number 5!
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Ne-Yo and his wife, Crystal Williams, are about to be parents again! The singer, who currently has four children, announced on Instagram on Feb. 21 that he and Crystal are having another baby. "Overjoyed to announce . . . the family is expanding," he captioned the post. Along with the sons he shares with Crystal, SJ and Roman, Ne-Yo also shares two children — son Mason and daughter Madilyn — with his ex Monyetta Shaw.
Although he's been super supportive of his kids' creative endeavors — just take a look at Instagram for proof! — Ne-Yo also has been careful not to push his children into the spotlight. Keep reading to see what we know about his four children and see some of the cute snapshots the family have shared!
Madilyn Grace Smith
Born Nov. 12, 2010, Madilyn Grace Smith is Ne-Yo's oldest child and the first child for the singer and his ex Monyetta Shaw. "I've been in love before but this feels like nothing I've ever felt. Like I'm in love for the first time," Ne-Yo told People shortly after Madilyn's birth.
Now 10 years old, Madilyn is apparently taking after her father in terms of creativity. "My kids are naturally creative and I think it's super cool that they have these outlets now. They're always making up stories and making little movies with the iPad and they all love music," Ne-Yo revealed to People in 2020.
Maddie also is the inspiration for one of her mom's projects: Monyetta published The Adventures of Maddie: Meet Maddie, a children's book, in January 2021.
Mason Evan Smith
Born Oct. 9, 2011, Mason Evan Smith is the younger of Monyetta and Ne-Yo's two children. According to his dad, Mason's name was chosen with a very specific purpose in mind.
"We needed him to have a name that felt like a gentleman, like somebody you have to respect," Ne-Yo told People. "Mason Evan Smith, you have to respect that name." He added that he had no plans to push music or fame on his kids, and it seems like he's stuck to that for the past decade. "I'm not going to be that dude that predestines my children's future."
Mason definitely has a big personality, as he often shows off in short videos on the Instagram he shares with his sister and their mom. He's even a character in a book: Monyetta wrote The Chronicles of Nice Guy Maso, a children's book that came out in January 2021.
Shaffer Chimere Smith Jr.
Also known as SJ, Shaffer Chimere Smith Jr. was born March 15, 2016. He's Ne-Yo's third child and the first with his wife, Crystal Williams. As the "junior" in his name suggests, SJ actually shares his father's real name!
One of Ne-Yo's recent collaborations, a music video for "Shake" for which he partnered with Lego, was created out of a desire to do more things he could share with his children. "When they gave me a call and asked me about it, I was instantly in because my kids are huge LEGO fans and have been for forever," he told People. He added: "It does get kind of hard to find stuff that I can do that I can include them in as well. That's why when this came through, I was in before they even really told me what it was."
Roman Alexander-Raj Smith
Born June 14, 2018, Roman Alexander-Raj Smith is the youngest of Ne-Yo's children (for now, at least!). Following his birth, People reported, his mom posted some Instagram Stories revealing that Roman's birth happened faster than expected.
"I had a ironclad birth plan and I was determined to do it my way. But God had other plans apparently," she wrote. "A routine doctors visit on Thursday and I was rushed straight to the hospital and surgery less than a hour later! Roman wasn't doing well in my womb and had to be taken immediately or the doctors feared the worst. Scariest moments ever!!! But he's here and he's healthy and we are so happy!!!!!!"