Co-parenting can be a dicey situation. Misunderstandings and grudges held from the past are bound to rear their ugly head at some point. But alas, there’s hope. Look no further than these celebrity exes who showed us it doesn’t have to be all about drama. These mature co-parents proved first hand that raising a child when you’re not together can be smooth sailing if only you work together.
01
Cynthia Bailey and Leon
The Real Housewives Of Atlanta star/model and actor share a 20-year-old daughter named Noelle and have discussed having a “brother and sister” type relationship as co-parents.
02
Mashonda, Alicia Keys, Kasseem Dean Jr., and Swizz Beatz
Though their situation wasn’t always pretty, Swizz Beatz, his wife Alicia Keys, and ex-wife Mashonda have formed a peaceful blended family full of love and respect. “Once you are willing to let go of those feelings, forgiving becomes easy,” Mashonda told ESSENCE exclusively. “It’s an evolution to know you can reach that point as a human being.”
03
Mashonda, Alicia Keys, And Swizz Beatz
In a contributed article for ESSENCE, Mashonda revealed what inspired her book Blend: The Secret To Co-Parenting And Creating A Balanced Family.” It took years of healing for all parties involved and many openhearted conversations with my child’s co-parents before we reached a place of positivity,” she wrote.
04
Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith and Sheree Fletcher
Against seemingly impossible odds, Will, his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, and his ex-wife, Sheree Fletcher, have appeared to master a healthy co-parenting relationship. Jada and Sheree recently sat down on The Red Table Talk to discuss the work it took to get there.
05
Lenny Kravitz And Lisa Bonet
Though Kravitz and Bonet aren’t legally bound to co-parenting their 30-year-old daughter Zoë anymore, Bonet revealed many of their holidays are spent as one big happy family, including Thanksgiving. “It’s fantastic. It’s full-on family love,” she told Porter Magazine.
06
Jason Momoa and Lenny Kravitz
Momoa, Lisa Bonet’s current husband, and Kravitz not only getting along well – they’re practically brothers.
07
Mariah Carey And Nick Cannon
When it comes to parenting their 8-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe, things couldn’t be smoother between once married Cannon and Carey. “We got our egos and this selfish behavior [but] when you put your children first, you understand that it’s all unconditional love. All that other stuff just falls apart,” Cannon once told Us Magazine.
08
Lil Wayne and Toya Wright
Though they’ve been divorced since 2006, Lil Wayne and ex-wife Toya Wright have established copacetic co-parenting when it comes to their daughter Reginae. “I think we’re doing a great job of co-parenting,” Wright once told HipHollywood. “Wayne is very involved in [Reginae’s] school life, he’s very involved in her music career… We’re both on the same page.”
09
Garcelle Beauvais And Ex-Husband Mike Nilon
Years after their divorce, Beauvais and her ex-husband still have respect for each other as parents. Beauvais recently shouted out her ex in a birthday tribute to their twin boys Jax and Jaid.
10
Diddy And Misa Hylton
If you follow Diddy on social media, you’ll notice he is constantly proud of the peaceful co-parenting relationship he has with all of his children’s mothers, including Misa Hylton and the late Kim Porter. Offering a word of co-parenting advice via Instagram back in 2017, the mogul wrote: “To all the baby mamas and baby daddies, there just gotta be a time when the bullsh-t stops and y’all can just laugh and y’all can chill. I’m blessed to have three of the greatest baby mothers on the planet.”
11
Wiz Khalifa And Amber Rose
Amber Rose opened up on the Tamron Hall show, saying that she and Wiz Khalifa have a great co-parenting relationship.
“I think that me and Wiz are so, best friends now, that — we’re so far past being in love that I can say that now, right? It’s not like anything that we would circle back to or anything. We’re just friends and co-parents,” the model told Hall, 53.
12
Shaquille O’Neal and Shaunie O’Neal
Basketball legend, Shaquille and business mogul, Shaunie, are great co-parents for their four children, Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir and Me’arah. Shaunie has a son, Myles, from a previous relationship, and Shaq has a daughter, Taahirah, with his former girlfriend, Arnetta Yardbourgh.
In March 2021, she appeared on the Tamron Hall Show speaking of their relationship and co-parenting dynamic. “It took us a long time to get there — don’t get me wrong, it was not an easy journey — but once we got there, and I think we felt comfortable being honest with each other and just sharing what was going on in our lives, in our personal lives to a certain extent.”
13
Scrappy and Erica Dixon
While we don’t know if these two are officially back together or not, we’re certain that they have been great co-parents to their daughter, Emani Richardson, who’s now 18 years old.
