Jeannie Mai Jenkins is making sure her daughter learns to embrace both her Vietnamese and African-American heritage.
The proud wife and media personality sat down with the “Jennifer Hudson Show” to gloat over her life with rapper Jeezy and their 16-month-old daughter, Monaco. When speaking with Hudson about motherhood, the 44-year-old former “The Real” host says her goal is to teach Monaco how to “own who she is.” Mai explained that she loves allowing the toddler to spend time with Jeezy’s Atlanta family, which helps her to learn about her Southern heritage and culture. On the flip side, the family frequents the west coast with her Vietnamese relatives, where Monaco is surrounded by people who primarily speak their native language. Mai herself revealed she only speaks Vietnamese to her daughter.
“She’s a beautiful blend of being Black and Vietnamese, and I want her to really understand what that means as a powerful woman today,” she shared.
Mai only has one child with the Grammy-nominated rapper, but Jeezy shares a nine-year-old daughter, Amra Nor Jenkins, with ex-fiance Mahlet Mahi Gebremedhin. He also has a 27-year-old son, Jadarius Jenkins, whom he fathered with ex-girlfriend Tenesha Dykes. While those relationships didn’t go as planned, and Jeezy remains at odds with Gebremedhin for a number of reasons, he and Mai found love with one another in late 2018. They pair went public with their relationship in August 2019 and tied the knot in April 2021.
Since becoming a mother, Mai has been vocal about the good and bad of motherhood. She admitted to experiencing postpartum anxiety and struggles with breastfeeding. Nevertheless, the new mommy appears happier than ever with how her life turned out.
