Imagine being Blue Ivy, Sir, or Rumi Carter and not knowing that your parents are two of the most significant people on this planet. Perhaps your parents’ names are Willard Carroll Smith II and Jada Koren Pinkett Smith. But consider the thought that you were unaware of all your parents’ achievements and their impact.
It appears virtually unthinkable or impossible for any children of celebrities to know who their parents are after a certain age, especially in this day and age where social media is heavily prominent. Their parents could potentially be noticed at every turn. However, you’d be surprised to know of the plenty of instances where celebrities not only keep their offspring from the public eye but hinder them from learning of their status. Tyler Perry is one of the latest to share his story.
Tyler Perry is most famous for his portrayal of the “Madea” character. The media mogul has produced multiple stage plays throughout the years before transitioning to film and television. From 2005 on, the film producer wrote, produced, directed, and starred in most of his movies such as Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Why Did I Get Married, and its sequel, among many others.
On November 30, 2014, Tyler Perry and his then-partner, Gelila Bekele, welcomed a son named Aman Tyler Perry. Interestingly enough, Oprah Winfrey is the godmother to their son. But as massive of a celebrity Tyler Perry is, he chooses to keep his son out of the spotlight. The Academy Award-honoree appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to speak on his decisions for raising his son in this way. Not only does he keep Aman from the public eye, the ‘Madea’ homecoming actor claims his seven-year-old son does not know his impact.
Tyler Perry stated both he and Aman’s mother do their best to keep him out of the public’s view. However, he’s experienced Tyler Perry’s celebrity a small number of times. The actor also tried to expose his son to some of his films like PAW Patrol: The Movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, and a few of his Madea films. However, none of Tyler Perry’s work impressed his son, who didn’t seem to care.
The Madea actor is not the only celebrity known to have practiced this with their children. Honey actress and businesswoman Jessica Alba shared that they did not know that she was an actress at the beginning of her children’s lives. Alba is the mother of 3 children named Honor, Haven, and Hayes. The actress also appeared on Ellen, where she told the story of her daughter Honor coming home from school in the first grade “mortified” because she was alerted to what her mother was. While her children knew that she was the founder of The Honest Company, they were not aware of Jessica Alba’s celebrity. It wasn’t until a classmate brought a magazine to school with Alba on the cover that forced her to explain her career to her children. Jessica Alba revealed that her daughter felt “betrayed.”
It was only a matter of time before Jessica Albuma’s children found out who she was. Outside of being a very famous actress, her company, The Honest Company, has been highly successful. The Hollywood Reporter reports that Alba’s company was recently valued at over $1.4 billion. THe company went public last year and raised $413 million in it’s IPO.
Pop singer Christina Aguilera also shares a similar story. With over 75 million records sold in her career, Christina Aguilera is known as one of the most prominent selling artists in music. She also appeared in films such as The Emoji Movie and Burlesque and served as a coach on NBC’s The Voice for multiple seasons.
But the “What A Girl Wants” singer recently revealed to Billboard that her seven-year-old inquired as to whether she was a celebrity because she was unaware. A friend of her daughter’s asked if she knew her mother was famous, which ultimately led them to have a candid conversation. Elsewhere in the discussion, Aguilera revealed that her daughter doesn’t care much for her singing.
