Queen Latifah brought in year 55 on mommy duties. The actress celebrated her birthday courtside with her 5-year-old son Rebel and partner Eboni Nichols. The family of three attended the LA Lakers game and were captured all smiles sitting in the stands.
Latifah and Nichols have been an item for over a decade. The choreographer and performance producer allegedly met the rapper while she was on Dancing With The Stars in 2009. However, they didn’t start dating until 2013, and by 2019, they had welcomed their son Rebel into the world.
The Girls Trip star has always kept her love life under wraps, so many weren’t aware she was even partnered with a child until 2021. While receiving the Lifetime Achievement accolade at the BET Awards, the 55-year-old confirmed the news when she gave a shout-out to her family.
“Eboni, my love. Rebel, my love. Peace. Happy Pride!” she said during her acceptance speech.
Born Dana Elaine Owens, Queen Latifah has always wanted a family and expressed that to PEOPLE during an interview in 2017.
“I’ve always envisioned myself with a big family, I’m a late bloomer. I’m a late bloomer with a lot of things and you know — nobody’s perfect. I’m an overachiever in some ways and just like slow as molasses in other ways. I think I kind of needed to grow and mature and get everything kind of taken care of with everything before I was able to really deal with it,” she previously told PEOPLE Now.
Rebel has been out of the limelight for most of his life, and intentionally so. One of the first times the public saw him was when he was around four years old, attending a Harlem Globetrotters basketball game at Barclays Center in Brooklyn with the actress.
He was also spotted alongside his mama at the 2024 Paris Olympics, cheering on the U.S. swimming team.
Happy birthday to a legend. It’s nice to see her happy with the family she has always wanted.
