Photo: JP Yim/Getty
Ice-T(born Tracy Lauren Marrow) is known for many things: his rap career, his acting and, more recently, his outspoken views on parenting.
TheLaw & Order: SVUstar became a first-time parent in 1976 with the birth of his daughter, LeTesha, 48, whom he shares with his high school girlfriend Adrienne. He then welcomed a son, Tracy Jr., 33, with ex-girlfriend Darlene Ortiz in 1991. Two decades later, Ice-T welcomed his third child, daughterChanel Nicole, 9, in 2015 with his wifeCoco Austin.
Together, Ice-T and Coco’s parenting style has made some headlines, but the rapper stays firm in his belief that “everyone parents differently.”
“You have to be out of your mind to care what someone else has to say,” Ice-T told PEOPLE. “Our parenting is a lot different than the normal, square couple from Oklahoma. I’m a f—ing rock star, it’s different.”
He added: “We’re like the Osbournes. We have a different dynamic in our house. But it’s not harmful. That’s the main thing. It’s us.”
Ice-T and Coco have opted to raise Chanel without any help from a nanny. Hecalled his wife a “super mom"while talking to PEOPLE in December 2023.
“If you’re fortunate enough to be able to stay home with your kids, it’s the most incredible and most admirable thing you can do, is raise a child,” he said. “So don’t let no woman make you feel any kind of way. Do that job. So she picks Chanel up, goes to school, brings her back, takes her to Kung Fu, takes her to all that stuff.”
While Ice-T’s older, now-adult children prefer to stay out of the spotlight, 9-year-old Chanel tends tosteal it from her famous parents, who often share glimpses of their daughter’s sassy personality on social media.
“Let me shout out my family,” he said during his acceptance speech. “My son, my daughter, Coco my wife. [Chanel], who obviously is in the position to stand behind one of these podiums one day. She has no fear of the stage.”
Keep reading for everything there is to know about Ice-T’s three children.
LeTesha Marrow, 48
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Ice-T had his first daughter,LeTesha Marrow, while he was still in high school. LeTesha was born on March 20, 1976, to mom Adrienne, who was Ice-T’s girlfriend at the time, though there is little public information about her.
The rapper later reflected on having kids at a young age, admitting that hewasn’t as focused on parenthoodback then.
“When I had my first kid I was in the middle of the wildness of becoming Ice-T, all the people that were after me, and I had my head down,” he told PEOPLE in 2016. “I really wasn’t concentrating on them, I was concentrating on survival.”
In 1995, LeTesha welcomed her son,Elyjah Marrow, making Ice-T a first-time grandfather. Though LeTesha mostly avoids the spotlight, she has appeared on several episodes of her dad’s reality showIce Loves Cocoalong with her son.
Tracy Marrow Jr., 33
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Ice-T and then-girlfriendDarlene Ortizwelcomed their son,Tracy Marrow Jr., on Nov. 23, 1991. Ice-T met Ortiz on the set of the filmBreakin' in 1984 and the two dated for 17 years before calling it quits in 2000.
In a 2015 interview withComplex, Ortiz spoke about the similarities between her son and his dad. “I couldn’t even think of anybody that can top his dad, but he is so much more than his dad,” she said. “Ice would take up anything and master it. But this one? His little seed, this kid. It’s been so entertaining. He does everything: flies planes, plays poker, golf, already got a hole-in-one — who does that even in their life?”
Tracy Jr. is alsoan ambassadorfor Raising Cane’s, an American fast-food chain, alongside his dad.
Chanel Nicole Marrow, 9
Chanel Marrow Instagram
After nearly 14 years of marriage, Ice-T and Coco welcomed their first child together, a daughter namedChanel Nicole Marrow, on Nov. 28, 2015.
The longtime couple has been candid aboutwhy they waitedover a decade to have a child.
Ice-T was supportive of her decision, adding, “Just because I was finished with the clubbing and the partying doesn’t mean she was.” He continued, “It’s like Disneyland. I can’t say, ‘You don’t want to go, all the rides suck.’ You gotta go for the rides.”
Despite wanting to wait to have kids, Coco believed being a mother was her destiny.
“I’m 100 percent all-in,” she said at the time. “I think motherhood was always my calling. I wish I had let it happen earlier, but this is perfect. I’m dedicating my whole life to molding this little nugget into a fabulous person.”
Coco Austin Instagram
Now 9 years old, Chanel is anatural performer, according to her parents. “She watches Daddy at the concerts that he has all the time — she sees him move with the microphone, so now she knows how to talk on the microphone and give it up to the audience,” Coco told PEOPLE in 2017.
Coco often dresses herself and Chanel inmatching outfits— from everyday wear to Halloween costumes andbikinis. But despite coordinating looks with her mom, Chanel is herdad’s mini-me, and fans regularly point out the resemblance between the two on social media.
Ice-T and Coco have faced online backlash for some of their parenting choices, including letting Chanel havenail tipsfor her school picture day and Coco’s decision to continuebreastfeeding her. But the couple doesn’t let the hate get to them — after receiving criticism forbathing Chanel in a kitchen sink, Coco defended her “unconventional” parenting style onTwitter.
Despite putting up a strong front, Coco has been open about the difficulties of “being under a microscope” and how she struggles with mom shaming. During an appearance onThe Tamron Hall Show, the model got emotional after watching a video Ice-T had made her, in which he praised her skills as a mother.
“I’m underneath a microscope all the time and you don’t hear what good you do,” she told Hall as she teared up. “You don’t hear the goodness, you just hear a lot of bad. And I know I’m a good mother.”
She continued, “I’ve dedicated the last six years, putting everything aside, my career, everything, just for her … And you just want a little love, you want a little respect from people.”
Ice-T Instagram
Always quick to have his wife’s back, Ice-T has also spoken out about the couple’s uniqueparenting methods.
“I never felt shame because who can shame me? Who is the perfect parent?” Ice-T told PEOPLE in 2018. “Parenting is a work in progress and all kids are different. People need to mind their business and worry about their kids. We got this handled.”
When he’s notdefending his familyagainst internet hate, he’s proudly showing them off onsocial media. Shortly after welcoming Chanel, Ice-T told PEOPLE that he wasobsessed with taking picturesof his daughter, despite vowing he would never be that type of dad.
“I’m taking a lot of pictures. I’m that same guy that you go, ‘Oh, my daughter…’ and before I know it I’m showing you pictures. I said that I’m not going to be that guy,” he shared, adding, “but now I’m just like, ‘Wait, look,’ and, ‘Wait, look at this one,’ and, ‘Wait a minute, hold up.’ You can’t help it. You’re just happy.”
Tamron Hall Show/Youtube
In May 2023,Chanel wished Coco a happy Mother’s Dayon an episode ofTamron Hall. In a preview of the episode, Chanel joined Coco on stage, where Hall asks the little girl if she wants to say something to her mom.
“The first time I was born, I loved you,” she sweetly said.
“The first moment?” Coco asked, to which Chanel responded, “Yeah, the first moment! The first moment I was born.”
“She’ll be my little Bodyguard in no time,” she wrote alongside a few images of Chanel in her martial arts class.
source: people.com
