LaKeith Stanfield surprised fans on Wednesday when he confirmed he is a proud new father and a married man, People reports.
The “Atlanta” actor, 31, announced on social media that he and model Kasmere Trice Stanfield, 29, secretly wed and welcomed a new baby. The couple and their new bundle of joy appear in the latest issue of People.
“There’s life before being a parent, and then there’s life being a parent. It completely changes,” LaKeith told the publication.
The couple met while LaKeith was working in Canada, and he told People, “We were just feeling each other out, like maybe this will be a cool friend,” he explained. “As love does, it just smacked us out of nowhere,” the multifaceted performer added.
LaKeith was working on new music (his stage name Htiekal, is LaKeith spelled backward) when he met Kasmere. He described their seemingly cosmic connection as “strange.”
“I’m working on my music, writing and writing, and then this person who I was seemingly writing about pops up in my life. It was strange,” he shared with People.
LaKeith and Kasmere announced their engagement on Instagram last December and decided to tie the knot in a private ceremony. He has two minor daughters from past relationships.
“I’m really honored that I got to see the father in [him] before I was even having our baby,” Kasmere told People.
“We decided early on we wanted to protect our baby as much as we can for as long as possible,” the first-time mother said of their child, whose name and sex have not been revealed.
“Being in the public eye can be something that’s amazing, but it can also be something that is very hard on you,” LaKeith said.
“There needs to be things that exist that are sacred and not for consumption for everybody,” the “Haunted Mansion” star added.
“We want to be the ones to tell our story,” LaKeith said. “We’re bringing our family forward so we may inspire others,” he added.
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