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Home • Love & Sex

Faith Evans and Stevie J On Raising A Son With Autism

The singer says her husband has been supportive and a source of strength in helping raise her son Ryder, who is on the autism spectrum.
Faith Evans and Stevie J On Raising A Son With Autism
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: Stevie J. and Faith Evans attend the “Biggie Inspires” Art Exhibit & Celebration at William Vale Hotel on September 13, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
By Jasmine Grant · Updated November 4, 2020

Faith Evans, the First Lady of Bad Boy Records, has been through various ups and downs in life, which she’s channeled in her soulful music. Getting back in the studio after some time off, she knew she wanted the help of former producer Stevie J with recreating her new sound. What she didn’t expect to find (and neither did we) was a love connection.

In a sneak peek for her appearance on TV One’s Uncensored, Evans tells the story of how she and Stevie J became an item. “When I was working on my King and I album, I wanted to work with some of the people that actually worked with [Notorious B.I.G] and had some of the masters that I couldn’t get a hold of…and he had a lot of them,” she explains.

After some flirting and his pleas to take her out on a date, Faith finally obliged him. The two briefly dated, but Faith says she ended things because Stevie initially wasn’t ready for a serious relationship. “She kicked me to the curb one time, and that’s what made me lace up my boots and do all the right things,” Stevie admits.

They eventually reconnected, wed in 2018 and have been adjusting to their new blended family dynamic together. Evans has four children from previous relationships while Jordan has six. And while her friends and family had their doubts about her marriage to Stevie, they’ve since come around after seeing how well he has been helping to raise her 12-year-old son Ryder, who is on the autism spectrum.

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“We’ve had to deal with a whole lot [with Ryder],” Faith says in the clip. “We had to sue the school district. We had to homeschool him. We had to tour schools. We decided to start our own school. How [Stevie] came in and has always loved Ryder and has been so supportive in helping me make the right decisions with him, that’s A1.”

In July 2018, the couple revealed that they were working on having a child of their own.

Faith Evans’s Uncensored episode premieres Sunday, November 10 at 9 p.m. ET/8C on TV One. Catch the sneak peek below:

TOPICS:  Faith Evans Stevie J