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Home • Entertainment

Sorry 'Power' Fans, Kanan Is Definitely Not Tariq's Father

Sorry 'Power' Fans, Kanan Is Definitely Not Tariq's Father
Starz
By Sydney Scott · Updated October 23, 2020
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…
Power is set to return for its fifth season on July 1 and many fans are still reeling from Raina’s sudden death in season four. James “Ghost” St. Patrick (Omari Hardwick) and wife Tasha’s (Naturi Naughton) nearly nonexistent marriage is still chugging along, but can they survive the loss of their daughter? And, how would Ghost react to the possibility of Tariq not being his son?
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Some fans have long speculated that Tariq may actually be Kanan’s child, point to similarities between the two and a creepy moment in season two when Kanan tells Tasha that he used to think about her while in jail.

Plot twist
Ghost showed no emotion because Raina and Tariq are not his kids and Kanan is their father https://t.co/RChOhzRaqy

— JJ (@JAMES_J0NES) September 5, 2017
 

So, what you saying? Tasha wanted Ghost to kill Kanan because she knows that Kanan is Tariq's real father?

— Skribz (@SkribzSt) August 9, 2017
 

Waiting on Tommy to figure out who killed Julio, Tariq to get slapped, Sandoval to get caught & us to find out Kanan Tariq's father #PowerTV pic.twitter.com/dubVDsa5B9

— ‘Ber (@ambiee_23) August 7, 2017
 

What is this history lesson? Kanan is really Tariq's father? 🤔 #powertv pic.twitter.com/EmyzbAqwfA

— Shonda (@VICKI_VICE84) September 5, 2016
 

• Shawn Was Ghost Son
Tariq Is Kanan Son

— PushFromElmwood (@PushFromElmwood) June 20, 2018
 

I really think Tariq is Kanans. Looks more like him, his whole energy reflects Kanan. When he first met him he just latched onto him with ease. More chemistry there than with Ghost.

— Kng Kįko 🇨🇻 (@iAmKing_o5) June 20, 2018
 

Tariq is Kanans son, Kanan went pen around the same time Tariq was born. Tasha wanted Ghost to kill Kanan so that the truth never came out but instead he put him in pen. Think about it... Kanan killed Shaun easily, why didn’t he just pop carnn in Tariqs head too🤷🏾‍♂️ https://t.co/NFDBvi2QMo

— @blacx__ (@oldaccounttt139) June 18, 2018
One Reddit user even mentioned the theory before someone pointed out that show creator Courtney Kemp had squashed the theory.

Not at all. Tariq and Raina are twins. They are Ghost's kids. Can we stop this rumor now?

— Courtney A. Kemp (@CourtneyKemp) August 6, 2017
Still, the rumor persists. ESSENCE spoke to the cast of Power, who all agreed that there is no way Kanan is Tariq’s father. Executive producer, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, who brings Kanan to life on the show, told us, “You know what it is? I like Tariq. I see qualities in him that…are not necessarily positive qualities, I didn’t see in Shawn. This kid is actually street, he’s a gangster.” Jackson added that around Kanan, Tariq feels like an adult because Kanan treats him like one, “Him being around me is me just treating him like an adult and allowing him to be who he is at that point.” Kemp added, “Kanan is the most honest adult with him. The only lie he told him was his name was Slim. And when he was asked what happened to Shawn, he was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I was friends with Shawn.’ Well, that’s technically sort of true. But, Kanan’s the most straight up. Kemp continued, “I will say this, for people who keep asking that question: Since Raina and Tariq are twins, how is that biologically possible?” Naughton also firmly denied Kanan could at all be Tariq’s father, saying, “My children are Ghost’s children and that is without a doubt.” So, sorry fans, but as juicy a plot twist this could be, it’s never going to happen. Ghost is Tariq—AND RAINA’S—father and that’s that on that.