'A blessing': John Legend on the interracial family he and Chrissy Teigen share

April 2024 · 3 minute read

By Heather Cichowski

John Legend and wife Chrissy Teigen have an adorable young family, thanks to their children, Luna, 3, and one-year-old Miles. Fans frequently see photos of the little ones on social media, and now the musician is opening up about another aspect of his interracial family.

In honour of the 2020 National Day of Racial Healing on Jan. 21, the "Preach" singer spoke about his family blending different cultural backgrounds and celebrating the different experiences he and Chrissy both have.

Chrissy's mother, Vilailuck Teigen (also known as Pepper Thai), is Thai. Her father, Ron Teigen, is of Norweigan descent, and he met Chrissy's mom in Korat, Thailand. John's parents, Phyllis and Ronald Stephens, are black.

Chrissy and John help Luna throw the first pitch during a Seattle Mariners game in 2017. Photo: © Stephen Brashear/Getty Images

"A lot of it has been a blessing," he continues.

"Chrissy’s dad is white, her mother is Thai, both my parents are black and from Ohio," John continues. "We've definitely got an interesting cultural mix for my kids to kind of experience from all their grandparents and aunts and uncles but I feel like it's gone so well."

"I feel like they're accepting of each other, they love each other and we all learn from each other," he elaborates.

"It'll be interesting for [Luna and Miles] because they'll have a lot of different experiences they can draw from and learn from."

MORE: ‘Don’t just survive’: Chrissy Teigen opens up about managing her anxiety

John acknowledges representation is something he must be aware of and ensure his children feel represented and loved, but he sees things going in a positive direction to "a culture that values the fact that people have interesting backgrounds."

John carries Luna on his shoulders as Chrissy holds Miles in New York in 2019. Photo: © Gotham/GC Images

In the interview, John also highlights how he and Chrissy have benefited from their diverse backgrounds, including when it comes to better food, thanks to the blending of their heritages!

"We have different experiences. We laugh at each other," he explains. "We learn from each other and we love the things that are different about each other. That's been actually fun for us.”

Chrissy and John first met on the set of his 2007 music video for "Stereo." They eventually began dating. In 2011, John proposed in the Maldives. The two were married in September 2013 in Lake Como, Italy. In April 2016, they welcomed daughter Luna, followed by son Miles in May 2018.

The couple have always candid about a number of topics. They were open about their fertility struggles. The supermodel has also been upfront about postpartum depression, anxiety and medication. John has publicly supported his wife with mental health issues, and also highlighted other parenting problems, like the need for more changing tables in men's washrooms.

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