Apryl Jones, 36, has found a lot of joy (and a lot of new fans) since she started dating actor Taye Diggs, 52. The couple have gained popularity among social media users and seem to be enjoying a healthy relationship. The mom of two joined the Moms Actually podcast recently to discuss her relationship with The Best Man star as well as parenting, including her definition of single parenthood.
The hosts, Blair Gyamfi and Morgan Taylor, kickstarted the conversation by asking Jones how she defines single motherhood.
“I think for me, when you say single mom, it really is. ‘Cause I’m so literal,” the former Love and Hip Hop cast member said. “You’re single. And you’re a mother.”
Jones went on to explain that when she has her kids, she cares for them herself, so she’s technically a single parent. She also added that every other week their father, singer Omarion, has them, but he doesn’t provide any financial support.
“But then I also think like, well what if I was getting financial help and all that? Would it still in turn make me a single parent? ‘Cause I would be receiving, but I don’t. So for me, I categorize myself as a single parent,” she said.
Omarion and Jones dated between 2011 and 2016 and share two children together–Megaa, 8, and A’mei, 5. They broke up after having their second child.
While Jones stood on the fact that she defines herself as a single parent, she did acknowledge that she feels more supported since getting into a relationship with Diggs. The two went public with their romance in 2022 by means of funny TikToks that had everyone speculating and laughing at the same time.
“Now, because I’m in such a healthy relationship, I have help. So I am a single parent. Cause these are my kids but I have a partner who loves on my children and supports me. So I don’t feel as single as I used to be but I still am a single parent,” she said. The support Diggs provides ranges from doing homework with the kids to making funny videos, which we’ve seen online.
In terms of how Diggs and Jones meant, it all apparently went down in the DMs when the former All-American actor hit up the mom of two to tell her she was funny. They met up after talking for a little while and have been inseparable since. A year after dating, Jones introduced him to her kids who she says love him. Diggs also has a child from a previous relationship, Walker Nathaniel Diggs. The 13-year-old is from his previous marriage to Idina Menzel.
Gyamfi and Taylor went on to ask Jones about her glow-up and how she got to this healthy space she’s in now. The Love and Hip Hop: Hollywood alum has been transparent about her sudden breakup from the “Ice Box” singer while dealing with postpartum depression and efforts made to rebuild her life.
She touched on those points again during the podcast, stating that she “was not herself” on Love and Hip Hop, which she starred in with Omarion during Season 1 of the show. They made their exit before Season 2.
“A lot was being controlled in the background. And so I always walked onto that set feeling a bit like, okay. Like can I, should I say? And you know, I feel like now I’m in a healthier, just everything. Like a healthier relationship. I’m not going through postpartum,” Jones said.
The social media personality thanks therapy and having an open conversation with her mom about past traumas for helping her heal and move forward. Jones, who was raised by her grandmother, found closure in that conversation and is now the best of friends with her mom.
“I feel like now I can fully be myself and fully sit in what God has prepared me for because I’ve gone through that storm and now I’ve crossed over to the other side. Like, I can give my kids what I need to give them because I myself have done the healing work.”