Jay-Z’s mom Gloria Carter gets married to longtime girlfriend Roxanne Wilshire
Jay-Z was so inspired by his mum's coming out story, that he actually penned the track 'Smile' about her life as a closeted lesbian
Congratulations to Jay-Z’s mum Gloria Carter who just married her long-term partner.
Carter had an intimate ceremony in Tribeca, New York as she wed long-time partner Roxanne Wiltshire.
It was, of course, a star-studded event, as Jay-Z, Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland were all in attendance.
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Unlike her son, Carter has kept away from the spotlight.
It took her years to come out as a lesbian, with Jay-Z actually rapping about how she came out later in life – with a track called ‘Smile’.
During the now iconic song, the Grammy award winner speaks about the shame his mom felt over the years, with Carter joining him on the track.
One verse reads: "Mama had four kids, but she's a lesbian/Had to pretend so long that she's a thespian/Had to hide in the closet, so she medicate/Society shame and the pain was too much to take.”
In a later part of the rap, he tells his fans how overjoyed he was that she’d finally come out and was able to be true to herself, writing: "Cried tears of joy when you fell in love/Don't matter to me if it's a him or her/I just wanna see you smile through all the hate/Marie Antoinette, baby, let 'em eat cake."
Released as part of his 4:44 album, the track went on to win Carter and Jay-Z a special recognition award at the GLAAD Media Award back in 2018, after the song resonated with others who came out later in life.
At the time, Carter told People that she’d chosen to stay closeted to ‘protect’ her family, adding that she didn’t ‘realise’ how many lives would be touched when she finally came out.
Jay-Z has also spoken about the joy he felt after his mum found love, during an interview with David Letterman.
Airing on Netflix’s My Next Guest Need No Introduction, the ‘No Church in the Wild’ rapper admitted that he cried when Carter told him she’d fallen in love.
"Imagine having to live your life as someone else and you think you're protecting your kids," he told the US talk show host.
He added: "For her to sit in front of me and tell me 'I think I love someone,' I really cried...I cried because I was so happy for her that she was free."
In a separate interview, his mum also recalled the moment her son cried at the news, telling the D'Usse Friday podcast: "So my son started actually, like, tearing because he was like, 'That had to be a horrible life, Ma.' I was like, 'My life was never horrible. It was just different.' So that made him want to do a song about it."
Katherine Sidnell