Celebrity Parents Share Experiences Talking to Their Kids About Interacting With Police Officers

Credit: Arnold Turner/Invision/AP/Shutterstock; Courtesy Nick Cannon/Instagram; ETIENNE LAURENT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Celebrity Parents Share Experiences Talking to Their Kids About Interacting With Police Officers

Regina King and more celebrity parents have described conversations they’ve had with their children about interacting with police officers. "The conversation shifts every time because you have to find a way to support their feelings,” the actress told Jimmy Kimmel in June 2020. “Make sure that you're letting them know that you hear them and that you do mirror the same sentiment, but you don't want them to do anything that's going to put themselves in a situation. … They may not come back home, they may not talk to you again." The Watchmen star, who shares Ian with her ex-husband, Ian Alexander, went on to say that their discussions “really hit home” when her son learned how to drive. The Los Angeles native explained during the virtual Jimmy Kimmel Live! appearance amid the coronavirus pandemic: “That's when the conversation shifts again because you kind of have to make them very clear about what they're supposed to do when they're out there in that car by themselves. [They're] more than likely going to get pulled over just because [they're] a young black man." The Boondocks alum shared these sentiments in the wake of George Floyd’s death. The Minneapolis resident died in May 2020 when police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck for nearly nine minutes. “You get to a place, especially when your children are at an age where they are looked at as adults, [when] it just compounds every time something like this happens,” King told Kimmel. “It’s another moment that's telling them that they're not worthy, they're not valuable, their lives aren't valuable once they walk outside the comfort of their homes." [jwplayer apenzQwv] Victor Cruz described having a “difficult conversation” with his daughter, Kennedy, in a June Instagram post. “[We talked about] how there are people in this world that will dislike you solely because of your race and background without ever knowing your story or struggles,” the former professional football player wrote at the time. “Could tell she was a bit confused at first but she nodded in agreement right before falling asleep. I nodded in sadness as she slept. This is America.” Keep scrolling to read about more celebrity parents’ experiences talking to their children about police brutality, from Nick Cannon to Shaquille O’Neal. For more information, visit Blacklivesmatter.com. [podcast_block]

Credit: Arnold Turner/Invision/AP/Shutterstock; Courtesy Nick Cannon/Instagram; ETIENNE LAURENT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Celebrity Parents Share Experiences Talking to Their Kids About Interacting With Police Officers

Regina King and more celebrity parents have described conversations they’ve had with their children about interacting with police officers. "The conversation shifts every time because you have to find a way to support their feelings,” the actress told Jimmy Kimmel in June 2020. “Make sure that you're letting them know that you hear them and that you do mirror the same sentiment, but you don't want them to do anything that's going to put themselves in a situation. … They may not come back home, they may not talk to you again." The Watchmen star, who shares Ian with her ex-husband, Ian Alexander, went on to say that their discussions “really hit home” when her son learned how to drive. The Los Angeles native explained during the virtual Jimmy Kimmel Live! appearance amid the coronavirus pandemic: “That's when the conversation shifts again because you kind of have to make them very clear about what they're supposed to do when they're out there in that car by themselves. [They're] more than likely going to get pulled over just because [they're] a young black man." The Boondocks alum shared these sentiments in the wake of George Floyd’s death. The Minneapolis resident died in May 2020 when police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck for nearly nine minutes. “You get to a place, especially when your children are at an age where they are looked at as adults, [when] it just compounds every time something like this happens,” King told Kimmel. “It’s another moment that's telling them that they're not worthy, they're not valuable, their lives aren't valuable once they walk outside the comfort of their homes." [jwplayer apenzQwv] Victor Cruz described having a “difficult conversation” with his daughter, Kennedy, in a June Instagram post. “[We talked about] how there are people in this world that will dislike you solely because of your race and background without ever knowing your story or struggles,” the former professional football player wrote at the time. “Could tell she was a bit confused at first but she nodded in agreement right before falling asleep. I nodded in sadness as she slept. This is America.” Keep scrolling to read about more celebrity parents’ experiences talking to their children about police brutality, from Nick Cannon to Shaquille O’Neal. For more information, visit Blacklivesmatter.com. [podcast_block]

Credit: Courtesy Gizelle Bryant/Instagram

Gizelle Bryant

The Real Housewives of Potomac star told E! News on August 6 that it’s easier to talk to her three daughters about racism and police brutality now that they’re in their teens, explaining, "They're in high school, so they are totally well aware about the indifferences of what happens to them because of the color of their skin. They're difficult conversations but they need to happen. There's no way as a mother raising my daughters, my Black daughters, that I can't be honest with them and up front. If I'm not, then I'm setting them up for failure. There's no way that they can make it in this country not being clearly aware of the injustices that have come before them."

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Tyson Beckford

“We shouldn't sugarcoat it so that when they get out on the street, they won't be shocked,” the model exclusively told Us. “They'll be like, ‘My parents explained this might happen.’ That way the kid has a better chance, you know? Knowledge is half the battle and knowing what's going on in the world is better than not knowing, just being blindsided.”

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Wayne Brady

After “freaking out” when his daughter, Maile, tripped their home alarm and the company sent armed responders to check out their house, the comedian spoke to the teenager about why he panicked. “It's a conversation I'm glad I had because every young black person that we send out in the world,” Brady told Access Hollywood. “I worry about her boyfriend when he drives. We need to arm [them] with knowledge because it's just necessary.”

Credit: Courtesy of Kandi Burruss/Instagram

Kandi Burruss

“He was a policeman on Career Day,” the Real Housewives of Atlanta star told Andy Cohen. “So when my husband, Todd [Tucker], was trying to explain to him what was going on and why everybody was so upset and what was happening with the police, Ace was confused. He was like, 'So, the police are the bad guys?'" 

Burruss teared up, adding, "For you to be black and have to worry about the police being the bad guys, that's an emotional thing for me. ... That's something that we have to think about for our sons."

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David Oyelowo

The Selma star regretted telling his son not to “be confrontational” around police officers after Floyd was killed without “resisting arrest.” Oyelowo explained, “Those conversations are already emasculating to basically say, forget about justice in an interaction with the police."

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Niecy Nash

“I used to say, ‘If you just comply, get home, and if there was a wrong that happened, we'll right it later,’” the Reno 911 star told The Hollywood Reporter of conversations with her son, Dominic. “But ...  I don't know because [George Floyd] complied. He was in handcuffs. He was on the ground with his hands behind his back. So I don't even know." 

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Regina King

“In most black homes, it’s not just a conversation,” the actress went on to tell Kimmel in June. “It’s an ongoing conversation. It never stops.”

Credit: Courtesy Nick Cannon/Instagram

Nick Cannon

"My children fear police,” the Masked Singer host told Access in June of twins Morocco and Monroe and son Golden. “I try to teach fearlessness. I try to teach, ‘You have a power within you that you need to fear nothing.’ But when they see the energy of law enforcement [it’s like], ‘Uh oh, here comes the police.’”

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Shaquille ONeal

“I have that talk with them all the time,” the athlete told Kimmel in June of his sons Myles, Shareef and Shaqir. “I tell them, ‘First of all, you have to try to diffuse the situation by showing respect because you have to understand that these people are also out here doing their job.’”

Credit: Courtesy of Victor Cruz/Instagram

Victor Cruz

The E! News’ Pop of the Morning host spoke to his daughter, Kennedy, about racism in May, telling Us Weekly exclusively the following month: “I do plan on having that conversation [with her about police] when she's a little older.”