Ayesha Curry juggles many titles: wife, businesswoman, creative, and mother, often leaving her hands and schedule full. However, recently, Curry has taken a step back from the spotlight to focus more on her philanthropy work, entrepreneurship, entering the wellness and lifestyle arenas with her company, Sweet July, but also being a loving and present mother to three adorable children, daughters Riley, 10; Ryan, 7; and son, Canon, 4.
In INSIDER’S May cover story, Curry shared how the pandemic made their family closer. Keeping them out of the public eye was a mixed blessing, as the Currys could retreat into their private bubble. “We kind of had a revolving door all the time,” Curry says of their life before the pandemic. With increased privacy, their family could take the time and space to establish what they wanted for their lives, how to better themselves, and address mental health through consistent therapy.
Curry credits therapy and a painful lesson in 2019 for helping her pivot away from her role as a media personality, which caused her to be more guarded, as she now knows how easy it is for celebrities to be taken out of context for clicks, views, and ratings. In 2019, she had a bad experience on the Red Table Talk – the now defunct Facebook Live interview series founded by Jada Pinkett Smith. When the show was taped, Curry was newly postpartum and a nursing mother. Throughout the episode, she is vulnerable about feeling insecure in her marriage and wanting attention. “The show was edited in a way that made me sound crazy. It’s not what I said, and the context was weird. Yeah. I took that one personally,” she revealed to INSIDER.
“Media is a very ruthless space,” says Curry’s sister-in-law, Sydel Curry-Lee. “Celebrities are real people. All press is good press, but that’s not true when it comes to our emotions and our mental health. We’re all about protecting our peace,” states Curry-Lee. Curry also takes the “protecting our peace” approach with her little ones, including her eldest, Riley. As a younger mother, Curry often brought Riley to her husband’s basketball games while cheering him on from the stands. Riley quickly made an impression on media and fans alike with her playful expressions and gestures before, during, and after the Warriors basketball games, which caught the camera’s eyes and, in turn, garnered social media attention. Curry now regrets the overexposure. “If we had known back in the day just how chaotic it would make life, I don’t think we would’ve done it. But we were just genuinely living our lives back then.” Curry reflects on her daughter Riley’s viral fame.
She continues, “When the social media thing started, nobody knew what that was going to become,” she says. “If we had known back in the day just how chaotic it would make life, I don’t think we would’ve done it. But we were just genuinely living our lives back then. And we thought, ‘This is our kid. We’re bringing our kid along.’”
Now, Curry is determined to give her kids a private and enjoyable childhood, hidden and protected from the public eye. None of the children have social media accounts or cell phones, limiting them from seeing what might be said about their uber-famous parents. While this won’t be a case forever, it does serve as an excellent and safe solution for now.
“I’m trying to be as normal as possible, but every day we wake up, and there’s a new school shooting, a new attack,” she says. “Every time I pull up to their school for drop-off, I’m looking at the entrance, I’m looking at the exit, I’m looking around.”
Right now, the family unit prioritizes peace, protection, and, yes, trying to find a semblance of balance amid their hectic schedules and professions.
Curry continues, “Where’s the middle ground, where we’re strict, but we’re also allowing our kids to experience life?” she says. “We’re trying to figure out what that balance is. Just kind of learn as you go, right?”