Donald Glover and Michelle White attend the 2024 Vanity Fair Oscar Party on March 10 in Beverly Hills, California.Photo:Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Although Glover is notorious for keeping his personal life private, he has occasionally opened up about the impact of fatherhood. In February 2018, Glover spoke withEsquireabout how parenthood has shifted his perspective on life.
“Every step of your life once you’re an adult, you realize what being a teenager is. Once you’re a teenager, you realize what being a child is," he said, explaining that each phase of life provides context for the one that came before it.
He continued, “Children are life’s greatest context. Parenthood really does make you something more. It asks you questions that no one is ever ready for, and that you’re always ready for. It’s like ayahuasca.”
But for the Grammy-winning artist, becoming a father has also meant adjusting his relationship with work.
“I do block off time now [to work on music] because I’m like, ‘I want to be there for them at this time, and I want to make sure I see his game.’ That takes a lot of scheduling,” Glover said onJimmy Kimmel Live!in March 2022.
From how they’re following in their father’s footsteps to how they keep him humble, here’s everything to know about Donald Glover’s children.
Legend Glover, 9
Donald Glover and Michelle White attend the ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ premiere at The Weylin, Brooklyn, on January 31, 2024.Jason Mendez/Getty Images
Jason Mendez/Getty Images
Glover and White welcomed their first son, Legend, in 2016. However, the new father didn’t reveal his son’s name until a performance at the Governors Ball the following summer.
As a young kid, one of Legend’s favorite movies wasThe Lion King, but he didn’t even know his father was the voice of Simba in the 2019 adaptation.
“My son, helovesThe Lion King, he’s a big, big fan, and of animals in general,” Donald said onJimmy Kimmel Live!in July 2019. “I didn’t want to tell him, ‘Oh I’m Simba,’ [because] this is probably the only time in history this will happen where a kid knows a movie and his father is the [main character].”
“Yesterday I was like, ‘Hey, you want to go seeThe Lion King?’ just to see if he might notice my voice or whatever. And he was like, ‘Oh, sure.Beyoncé’sin it, right?’ And I was like, ‘How did you know that? But also, Daddy’s in it! I’m in it, too!’ ” Glover added.
Although Legend might not have fully grasped his father’s talents at the time, it wouldn’t be long before he began to show signs of following in his father’s footsteps. In an interview withWSJ. Magazinein September 2024, Glover reflected on the moment during one of Legend’s soccer games when herealized his son was “a performer.”
“In the middle of bringing it down the field, he grabbed his chest and falls to the ground, pretending he’s dying,” he told the outlet. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh, he’s a performer.’ He’s not going to be Messi. He’s an artist on some level, he values experience.”
Legend brought that artistry to his dad’s sixth album,Bando Stone & the New World,in a duet titled “Can You Feel Me.”
“He has really good pitch, and he was always interested in what I was doing,” he toldWSJ. Magazine.
However, having his son collaborate on the album with him was a tough decision for Glover.
“In a perfect world, I wouldn’t have my kids in the business,” he toldWSJ. Magazine. “I don’t love the industry, it does something to people … So it was hard, but he’s really good and I was super proud of him.”
In May 2024,Varietyreported thatLegend had a cameo in episode 4 ofMr. & Mrs. Smith,which Glover co-created and stars in, as the son of John Smith’s ex-girlfriend Rooney.
Drake Glover, 7
Donald Glover attends the 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on January 10, 2023, in Beverly Hills, California.Matt Winkelmeyer/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Matt Winkelmeyer/FilmMagic/Getty Images
In January 2018, Glover’s second child — a son named Drake — was born. Glover first announced hehad another child on the wayat the Emmy Awards in September 2017, during his acceptance speech for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series.
In September 2024, Glover toldWSJ. Magazinethat he always wanted multiple children because he feels bad for only children who don’t have siblings.
“Yeah, they get a lot more attention probably, but if you’re like, ‘Is mom and dad crazy?’ You have nobody to bounce that off with. You’re like, ‘Maybe! I don’t know. Are they?’ Cause like that’s what’s helpful with brothers and sisters, they’ll be like no, I remember that and this is what I remember and it helps,” he toldWSJ. Magazine.
In March 2022,Jimmy Kimmelasked Glover what his kids thought of him shaving his head bald, and Glover shared Drake’s response that kept him humble.
“My middle child says, ‘Daddy looks weird.’ Which I do, to him. He only has four years life experience, so to him, he’s like, ‘Daddy’s been this way for a long time,’ ” Glover said.
Donald Glover III, 4
Donald Glover and Michelle White attend the Los Angeles premiere of Prime Video’s “Swarm” at Lighthouse Artspace LA on March 14, 2023, in Los Angeles, California.Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images
In a September 2020 conversation with actressMichaela CoelforGQ, Glover revealed that he had quietlywelcomed a son named Donald Glover IIIearlier that year in June.
“You know, I had [a kid] during the coronavirus,” he told Coel, before explaining that the birth came amid nationwide protests overGeorge Floyd’s death.
“Yeah, it was nuts,” Glover added. “I was in the hospital bed. My son had just been born, like, an hour before and I was watching the George Floyd video. It was such a weird moment.”
“It was such an intense, weird moment, because I’m watching that video and it’s like eight minutes long, so you’re sitting there and I had just had this amazing, joyful, expanding moment, plus my dad had passed away recently, so [my son] was named after my father,” he explained. “I don’t even know what, really, the word is to describe it. It was just expanding: the empathy and compassion and the terror and the joy of it.”
According to Glover, his youngest son has a habit of being particularly honest. In a conversation withWSJ. Magazinein September 2024, he recalled a time at the grocery store when he asked his youngest son if it was annoying that he talked to himself.
“He said, ‘No, well, it’s weird and annoying.’ That’s him in a nutshell. He is very truthful in that sense, which is awesome,” Glover said about his youngest son.
source: people.com
