Teyana Taylor and her husband Iman Shumpert grace the cover of Ebony’s April issue alongside their two daughters, Iman Tayla (affectionately called Junie) and Rue, and the happy couple addressed rumors that surfaced earlier this year regarding their marriage.
In February, a TikTok user alleged that an unnamed singer — who fans believed was Taylor — suffered a drug overdose after learning that her husband had cheated on her.
Taylor initially slammed the rumors in since-deleted social media posts. The Shumperts both addressed the allegations as part of the cover story, which also discusses the importance of Black love, navigating the industry, raising their children, and Junie’s international fashion success.
“These types of rumors and lies hurt the most because I take pride in being a mother and would never be that irresponsible,” Taylor told Ebony. “I’ve never used drugs a day in my life, nor do I smoke and only drink occasionally.”
She went on, “My health issues were never a secret. We actually outwardly shared them with the world on our reality TV show, We Got Love. So for someone to take that and make it a joke is extremely hurtful. It makes me emotional thinking about it.”
Taylor previously revealed that she had been living with cholestasis, a liver condition. She also had surgery to remove lumps from her breast last year.
Further addressing the aforementioned rumors, former NBA star Shumpert said, “If she did coke, why would I be cool with that? Why would I not care about my kids enough to say, ‘Yo, you can’t be around my kids’? It’s disrespectful in so many ways that people don’t think through. … Just the way it was broken down, I’m like, ‘Bro, I cannot believe this is real.’ We’re waking up to this. We’re really having a conversation about a TikTok?’
“I don’t know where people get off,” the Dancing With the Stars champion added. “I live a real life and that’s really my wife, these really are our kids, we really love each other, and we’re really going to go hard.”
Taylor said she “absolutely” intends to take legal action against the TikTok user who started the rumors. “People have to start understanding that this is not OK,” she told the outlet. “Their malicious actions and recklessness need to heed some sort of repercussions.”
The Shumperts wed in October 2016. They welcomed their first daughter, Junie, in December 2015 and their second daughter, Rue, in September 2020.
As for the future, Taylor told Ebony, “We’re working to build generational wealth. We’re young and what I respect about Iman and my dynamic is that we empower and push one another to be better versions of ourself all across the board.”
