Fantasia Barrino’s oldest child, Zion Quari Barrino, is celebrating a major milestone. The 23-year-old shared on her Threads account that she’s officially been sober for 60 days.
“Today, I celebrate one of the hardest challenges in my life,” Barrino shared with her followers on Sunday, August 11.
“I was sick for 3 weeks, but I pressed through, with the grace of God. I met some amazing people on this new journey and gained a community, love, and unbearable support from my family. Happy 60 days today to me [red heart emoji]. If you are struggling, I’m here to help and talk about my journey.”
Zion didn’t specify what exactly she was sober from, but it was courageous of her to share her journey.
Fans of Barrino remember Zion as a little girl–she was beside her mom during her rise to fame after participating in season three of American Idol. Both Fantasia and Zion have a unique story–the superstar got pregnant with Zion at the age of 17 after moving in with an abusive boyfriend and dropping out of school at 14. When Barrino joined American Idol, she was a 19-year-old single mom surviving on food stamps in High Point, North Carolina projects. Becoming the season three winner of the show transformed both of their lives.
However, the show’s producers advised Barrino not to talk about being a young mom to Zion at the time.
“They would come to me and say, ‘Hey, maybe don’t speak so much about your daughter,’ because I was young,” she reflected. “I wasn’t quite giving off the ‘Idol’ vibe.”
She continued, “I wanted people to see me,” adding while holding back tears, “Yes, I had a child at a young age. Yes, I dropped out of school. I’m here with my gift and my future looks bright – maybe you can’t see it, but I can.”
Zion slowly began carving out her own path over the years When Zion was a teenager, she appeared in Fantasia’s 2017 music video for “When I Met You” as a younger version of her mom. She also launched her own makeup line, Quari Beauty, in December 2022.
Barrino also has two other children: Dallas Xavier Barrino, whom she had with runner Antwaun Cook, and Zezia London Taylor, who she has London Taylor with her current husband, Kendall.