Tiny told ET's Deidre Behar that the father-daughter pair are now doing 'really good,' and shared how they worked through their issues.
Tameka ‘Tiny’ Harris is sharing an update on husband, T.I.’s relationship with his daughter, Deyjah, following the rapper’s controversial comments about parenting the teen.
In November, during a since-deleted episode of the podcast, Ladies Like Us, the rapper said that he escorts Deyjah, 18, on "yearly trips to the gynecologist" in order to "check her hymen” and ensure she’s still a virgin.
The comments caused outrage, with celebrities including Chrissy Teigen and Padma Lakshmi calling out the musician -- Lakshmi tweeting that the “double standard of the patriarchy is truly insane.” Deyjah then appeared to like tweets criticizing her father, who also goes by “Tip.” Later that month, T.I. addressed the podcast on Red Table Talk, saying his comments had been misconstrued.
In a new interview with ET’s Deidre Behar, Tiny said that the father-daughter pair are now doing “really good,” and shared how they worked through the drama, which will play out on the new season of T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle, premiering on Monday.
“You’re gonna see Tip going through some things with Deyjah,” Tiny said. “That is one of the biggest things our family had to deal with this season. It was a big deal. Their relationship is definitely much better now because Deyjah is a very bright girl. Her dad just wants to love on her, so any time he’s around her, he just can’t stop loving on her. They’ve been doing really good."
“There’s a lot of conversation,” Tiny added about how the two worked through their issues. “A lot of talking, a lot of back-and-forth trying to figure out where the biggest problem was. And, understanding how she feels, where he was coming from and what he actually meant by whatever he said. There was no malicious ill intent in his reason for speaking on it. So, understanding that and her knowing that [helped] bridge the gap."
In January, T.I. appeared to allude to the conflict in an Instagram post, in which he asked his daughters to forgive him for “all imperfections that cause misunderstandings between us.”
While Tiny indicated the pair are now on good terms, the rapper hasn’t been able to see much of Deyjah -- who he shares with his ex, Ms. Niko -- in recent weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic. “We haven’t been able to see her because she’s been quarantined,” Tiny said. “We’ve seen all the kids, but her, only but once or twice.”
As for sharing the family drama on the series, Tiny said that doing so helps ensure that viewers get the full story from them direct, rather than incomplete or flawed versions from other sources.
In the coming season of the series, fans will also get to see Tiny and T.I.’s marriage during what Tiny describes as their “best times” yet.
“It was probably some of our best times and even our film crew was like, ‘Wow, this has been amazing. You guys haven’t been fussing,’” she said. “We’ve been really on one accord and loving and trying to work with each other. I’m not saying we don’t have spats here and there, but it’s been a real close-knit bond -- like the old times when we first got together. We’ve been able to find ourselves back to that place.”
The couple is currently quarantined with their kids, including young daughter, Heiress, who recently celebrated her fourth birthday.
“Everyone is getting along,” she said. “Heiress gets into it with everybody. She’s a little feisty and she’s a sweet angel when she comes to us. I see her go crazy on her brothers and sisters, but that’s keeping us entertained. Me and Tip -- we’ve had a couple of arguments about cooking and things of that nature, but nothing too much. We are enjoying being at home a lot.”
And, while she may “get into it with everybody,” Heiress was still treated to a memorable birthday celebration, despite not being able to leave home. Tiny said she organized for a musician named Lay Lay to come and surprise her. “She came over and she spent the night with us,” she said, before noting that she sprays anyone entering her home with Lysol and makes them wash their hands. “They were doing sip-and-paint [with] apple cider. She had three nice beautiful cakes. We had a chef come over and cook. She enjoyed it.”
See more on the family below.
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