Lil Wayne shares daughter Reginae Carter with ex-wife Antonia “Toya” Johnson-Rushing
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Reginae Carter and Lil Wayne attend Lil Wayne’s 36th birthday party and Carter V release on September 28, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.
Reginae Carter is Lil Wayne’s eldest child and only daughter.
The rapper welcomed Reginae with his ex-wife Antonia “Toya” Johnson-Rushing in November 1998. The pair ultimately split in 2006 but continued to amicably co-parent their daughter.
Reginae has maintained a close relationship with Lil Wayne (né Dwayne Michael Carter Jr.) and she shared with PEOPLE in May 2024 the important life lessons she’s learned from her father.
“My dad is super private, so I feel like even when the media gets him or puts him on blast, he pays dust to it. My dad is very nonchalant when it comes to that, so I’ve learned to kind of move like him,” she said. “My father has told me to keep that tough skin and don’t let nobody or nothing play with you or make you feel like you’re less than or you’ve got to change yourself for the world.”
In February 2023, Reginae was on hand to celebrate her father receiving the Global Impact Award at the Recording Academy Honors. She shared a video from the night on Instagram, praising Lil Wayne for his many roles as a musician and father.
“The Goat 🐐 The Best Rapper Alive ‼️ But You Still Hold many other titles ! One being , A Great Father To Your kids,” she wrote in her caption. “I wouldn’t trade this life for anything or anyone ! Seeing you get your flowers last night was bittersweet!”
Here’s everything to know about Lil Wayne’s daughter, Reginae Carter.
She was born in 1998
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Reginae Carter and Lil Wayne at Billboard R&B Hip-Hop Live on August 8, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Lil Wayne and his then-girlfriend Johnson-Rushing welcomed daughter Reginae on Nov. 29, 1998. The pair were 16 years old at the time of their daughter’s birth.
They later tied the knot in 2004, and while Lil Wayne and Johnson-Rushing divorced two years later, they remained close friends.
Speaking with Essence in September 2023, Johnson-Rushing reflected on raising Reginae at a young age.
“I did have Reginae at an extremely young age. We kind of grew up together. But one thing I will say is I’ve always kept it separate. I have never been her friend growing up. I’ve always been her mother,” she said. “As Reginae grew up and started to mature and go through different things in life, we started to get closer and closer.”
She’s a big sister
Reginae is Lil Wayne’s only daughter, but she has three younger brothers. The rapper welcomed son Dwayne Michael Carter III with radio host Sarah Vivan in October 2008, son Kameron Carter with actress Lauren London in September 2009 and son Neal Carter with singer Nivea in November 2009. Reginae is also a big sister to Reign Rushing, Johnson-Rushing’s daughter with her husband Robert Rushing, who was born in February 2018.
The actress is very close to all of her younger siblings. In 2023, she spent Thanksgiving with Lil Wayne and her three brothers and had a Christmas photoshoot with Johnson-Rushing and her sister Reign.
She’s an actor, model and entrepreneur
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Lil Wayne and Reginae Carter attend the BET AWARDS ’14 on June 29, 2014 in Los Angeles, California.
Reginae is making a name for herself in the entertainment business. She has appeared in several films and TV shows, including Dear Santa, I Need a Date, Pride and Prejudice: Atlanta, Social Society and Terror Lake Drive. In 2023, Reginae and Johnson-Rushing premiered a reality TV show about their family life called Toya and Reginae.
Speaking with Essence in August 2023, Reginae opened up about how she hoped the reality show would show the world that she works hard to build her career as an actor.
“As far as acting, people think that I get a lot of stuff because of who I am, [but] they’re going to see that I am working for what I want, and I want them to know I do get ‘nos,’ ” she said. “It’s not perfect over here, and I’m human. I want people to know that just because my parents are who they are, I have nothing to do with that.”
Reginae also works as a model and entrepreneur. She has previously appeared in campaigns for NYX Professional Makeup and Savage x Fenty. In March 2022, the actress launched her own fitness brand, IFITIN.
She appeared on My Super Sweet 16 in 2015
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Lil Wayne and Reginae Carter attend Reginea’s “All White” Sweet 16 birthday party on November 29, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia.
In 2015, Reginae documented her 16th birthday bash with an appearance on a revival of the popular MTV show, My Super Sweet 16. The lavish party included an all-white theme and musical performances from Nicki Minaj and Rae Sremmurd, per Billboard.
Lil Wayne and Johnson-Rushing also surprised their daughter on her big night with two cars, a red BMW and a white Ferrari.
“I’m daddy’s little girl and he showers me with anything I want,” Reginae said in the episode, per E! News. “I’m gonna shut Atlanta down.”
Birdman is her godfather
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Reginae Carter, Birdman and Bria Williams attend the BET Hip Hop Awards 2010 on October 2, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Rapper Birdman is Reginae’s godfather, whom she calls “Parrain,” which means godfather in French. It was revealed during Reginae’s appearance on My Super Sweet 16 that Birdman bought her a Rolex and diamond earrings for her birthday, with the then-teen saying in the episode that he “gives me whatever I want,” per Billboard.
During a 2018 interview with Beats 1 Radio, Birdman shared that while he and Lil Wayne had previously feuded over business disagreements, they resolved their issues for the sake of their children.
“It’s affecting our kids, and that’s not cool,” he said. “His daughter’s [Reginae Carter] my godchild—I love her to death. That’s my favorite … He [Lil Wayne] talks to my children all the time. It’s just a weird relationship, but it’s solid.”
She featured on one of her dad’s songs
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Reginae Carter and Lil Wayne attend Big Game Weekend Saturday on February 10, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Reginae featured on the song “Famous” from Lil Wayne’s 2018 album Tha Carter V. She sings the chorus on the track which includes the lyrics, “Welcome to your name in lights / All the lighters in the sky, yeah / You must be famous.”
On release day, Reginae shared the song on her Instagram and wrote, “The happiest day of my life ❤️ I love you daddy !”
She has a YouTube Channel
Reginae Carter Instagram
Lil Wayne and his kids.
Reginae started her official YouTube channel in 2020. She often posts vlogs and Q&As on her channel, which share glimpses into her family life. In a Q&A video from April 2020, Reginae opened up about her favorite moments with her dad.
“We’re always bonding and chilling. Me and my dad, we are different. Like our bonding and our chill moments when we have fun is just chilling watching movies, joking around. He’s a jokester,” she said. “We just love bonding together. I’m a lot like my dad, so we get along a lot.”
She’s very close with both of her parents
Reginae Carter Instagram
Toya Johnson, Reginae Carter, and Lil Wayne.
Reginae has a close bond with each of her parents. Speaking with PEOPLE in June 2024, the actress opened up about her relationship with her father and the experience of bringing men home to meet him.
“My dad is so laid-back. We’re best friends, so if I bring you to my father, he’s going to be cool because he knows that if I’m bringing you, it’s cool people,” she says. “He’s not the type of dad that be acting all strict and mean, trying to scare the guys.”
Reginae also shared that her parents have “always steered me right,” and she often turns to her mother for guidance.
“She is a class act. I call her for everything,” she said. “Even when she makes me mad, I still have so much respect for her because I know that lady just wants the best for me. She’s a real mother.”
She said Lil Wayne taught her to have “thick skin”
Reginae Carter Instagram
Reginae Carter and Lil Wayne.
Working in the entertainment industry, Reginae told PEOPLE in October 2023 that she turned to her father for advice about navigating her career.
“My dad taught me a lot about just being in the industry, period,” she said. “With him being in this industry since he was 12 years old, he taught me just to keep a thick skin, always be true to myself, never let no one tell me what I can and cannot do.”
Reginae added that she and her family don’t let negativity affect them because they “just know who they are.”
