When "Honey" singer Kehlani announced the exciting news that she was about to be a mother, some of her fans were perplexed. The star has been open about her identity as a queer person and fans were unsure who the father of her daughter was. Some claimed it might be her friend, Javie, who was regularly featured on her social media days before she announced her pregnancy.
She titled the picture, "beans." In the comment section on the photo, dozens of fans asked if the person was the father of Kehlani's child and assumed he was her boyfriend. The singer didn't immediately respond.
"you guys are gonna have the most adorable child i cant," IG user @kaitxerika wrote. "he's her bestie, and she's fluid, so it could be," @ginathatsit added.
Kehlani, 23, didn't explicitly identify her daughter's father, though she did say that it was her best friend.
"i have a daughter. me. i. me! kehlani! i have a mini on the way. my partner is my best friend and quite frankly the only man on earth i trust. we are SO READY FOR U MIJA!!!!!!!!!" she tweeted. "the decision to share this with the world was a tough one, but i really want to experience the freedom and joy any normal pregnant person feels. i don't want to hide. i want to walk around belly out everywhere. ME AND MY SHORTY OUT HERE!"
For now, she's keeping his identity a secret. "mmmm! i shared that because i plan on eventually sharing why my partner is so special to me," she wrote to a fan who said she didn't want people to think Kehlani was queer because of past traumatic experiences. "why i trusted him with my body, my life, and my future. it was pure props to my luva"
mmmm! i shared that because i plan on eventually sharing why my partner is so special to me. why i trusted him with my body, my life, and my future. it was pure props to my luva __ https://t.co/uAV5SuGjYX
— Kehlani (@Kehlani) October 12, 2018
Kehlani was originally afraid to share the news earlier in her pregnancy, but after Friday's reveal she felt relieved. "whew that was hard as hell. but i feel kinda FREEEEEEEEE," she said. "oh baby there is so much more love than hate! and even then the hate is more so confusion from people who just truly don't want to understand. i've let the internet take away some of my best years and that won't ever happen again. we are so good over here!!!"
Two hours after Kehlani posted her baby news, her Instagram post garnered more than 1.1. million likes from her 6.4 million followers. On Twitter, where she also talked about her pregnancy, the singer amassed more than 185,000 likes on her announcement.
She was especially thrilled when Missy Elliott congratulated her. "Congratulations!!!! May God Blessings pour upon your child in great health mind body & soul," the "Work It" rapper wrote. "I can only imagine and I know she will be a loving mom & a great teacher to her bundle of joy forever! God bless them"
Kehlani will likely keep her fans updated on her pregnancy. "I am happy to document this journey and feel the freedom any pregnant person should. i'm looking forward to sharing my little world with you all," she wrote. "my partnership with my very best friend, our journey of conception, my choice for a natural home birth with my AMAZING midwives at @parteramidwifery and eventually… the little pumpkin!"
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Maria Vultaggio is a Brooklynite originally hailing from Long Island. She studied English at Stony Brook University and interned at the ... Read more
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