Not ready to settle down — yet. Matthew Lawrence shed more light on his hopes to start a family someday amid his romance with TLC’s Chilli.
The Boy Meets World alum, 43, reflected on the “interesting” way the story took off during an interview with E! News on Wednesday, March 15, shortly after his comment about possibly wanting children with the singer, 52, made headlines. “[My brother] Joe and I were commiserating about this plan that we had to have children together … when we were growing up,” Matthew explained. “And I missed the first go around and now he’s starting a new family and I was thinking, ‘Man, it’d be great if we could do it again, when I didn’t have the chance to raise a family together.’ So that’s what I meant by that.”
The Brotherly Love alum continued: “I didn’t mean to put any pressure on somebody I was dating or anything.”
He went on to praise his “incredible” girlfriend, who shares son Tron, 25, with ex Dallas Austin. “She’s an amazing person,” he raved. “She’s already a mother, she has an incredible son. I respect so much as to how she’s raised him. She’d be an incredible mother again, and I’d be incredibly lucky but that’s way in the future.”
The Pennsylvania native was first linked to the “Waterfalls” artist in August 2022, less than one year after his split from Cheryl Burke. The exes were married for nearly three years and finalized their divorce in September 2022. Matthew and Chilli (born Rozonda Thomas) went public with their romance in January.
Earlier this month, the Mrs. Doubtfire actor raised eyebrows when he gushed about his plans for a future with Chilli. When asked about whether he saw kids in the picture, he told Entertainment Tonight on March 3, “That’s the game plan. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
He added: “My life is in complete bloom right now. I get to spend time with an amazing woman like Chilli. I’ve never gotten to be able to experience that kind of relationship before. She’s really, really special.”
Burke, 38, weighed in on her former spouse’s surprising comments during an interview on the “Most Dramatic Podcast Ever” with Chris Harrison. “He comes from a huge family and there were definitely conversations [about it when we were together]. … There were discussions about freezing my eggs,” she said on the Thursday, March 9, episode. “I really do wish him well. … I really, truly hope he can actually have a kid with Chilli. I think that’s amazing. I think he’s wanted that.”
The Dancing With the Stars pro and her ex-husband have remained quiet when it comes to the reason behind their split, but a source exclusively told Us Weekly in March 2022 that the pair’s decision to divorce “was not about having kids.”
Before calling it quits, the twosome were candid about their vision for expanding their family. In April 2020, Matthew told Us that the duo put their pregnancy plans “on pause” due to the coronavirus pandemic. “We’re just waiting to see what happens. … When this starts to clear out, I think we’ll have a better view or understanding,” he explained.
Burke chimed in at the time: “I think it’s healthier [to wait]. I don’t know if being pregnant right now would be ideal for me.”
