Tia Mowry is standing in her truth and making it clear she isn’t here for the backlash she’s been receiving for calling herself a “single mom.” Now, she’s speaking out about it.
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Mowry recently took to Instagram to defend herself over using that label, breaking down the different parenting dynamic she’s been facing now that she is divorced from ex-hubby and fellow actor Cory Hardrict. As we previously told you, the former couple first announced their separation in October 2022 with their divorce being finalized in April 2023. Since then, Mowry has been venturing into the dating scene and learning how to successfully co-parent her two children with Hardrict.
However, since the two don’t live in the same home anymore, parental duties are split and Mowry has likened the experience of being largely responsible for her kids as that of a single mom. But, considering the fact that Hardrict still seemingly has a presence in their kids lives and does his part as a parent, many online took issue with the “Sister, Sister” star trying to ascribe that label to herself.
“#TiaMowry is annoying as f**k and why does she keep referring to herself as a single mom because she left her husband?” wrote one user on X.
“I love Tia Mowry, but I really need her to take her personal life off the internet . please learn to journal! all of this talk about being a single mom which might be her case and trying to navigate life after divorce, It’s just too much of us and her business,” said another.
Added one other user who came to Mowry’s defense, “The fact that she had to break this down on Instagram is crazy. She’s single and a mom. Very simple concept.”
As a result, she decided to hop back on Instagram Tuesday to clarify her point of view and address those who had a problem.
“Family can look different from what we imagined and still be full of love, stability, and joy. This is my truth and I want to share it,” she began. “Being a ‘single mom’ doesn’t always mean a mom doing it all alone without the father present in their kids’ lives at all. I recognize that archetype is extremely difficult, and I truly empathize. But what often gets overlooked is the nuance of what being a single mom can actually mean.”
Mowry continued: “For me, in my household, I am SINGLE. I don’t have a partner, so l’m holding it down for everyone at home. I’m the only parent present day to day. I remember those first nights after my world shifted. I cried. I felt guilt. I felt shame. I asked myself, ‘Are we still a family?’ Looking back now, I know we always were.”
She went on to say that her stance was bigger than the “single mom” label and more of a reminder for folks to “normalize different family dynamics.”
“Just because parents aren’t together doesn’t mean the family is ‘broken.’ It just looks differently,” she explained.
She concluded by saying that being a single mom looks differently for people and the crux of her position can be applied to other familial nuances like single dads, LGBTQ+ parents, and “all families outside the ‘perfect’ social norm. “
“Let’s shed light on these different family stories. Don’t feel guilty or pressured by what society says a family should be,” she ended her post. “Happy, healthy families come in many forms. Different doesn’t mean broken. We are a family regardless.”
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