Key Takeaways
- Da Brat and Judy Dupart received threats after revealing they used a white sperm donor during IVF.
- They cited health and availability as the reasons behind their donor selection.
- Their book, “The Way Love Goes,” explores their experiences with love, loss, and parenthood.
Da Brat and her wife, Jesseca “Judy” Harris-Dupart, are opening up about the darker side of their fertility journey, revealing they received death threats after using a white sperm donor to conceive their son through IVF.
In a recent interview with PEOPLE, the couple shared that what should have been a joyful chapter was clouded by cruel and disturbing remarks from strangers online. The comments, they say, went far beyond criticism. “We received death threats. People told us things like we should miscarry,” Judy told the outlet.
The pair welcomed their son, True Legend, in 2023, a milestone they describe as life-changing. But when news spread that they used a white donor, critics questioned their decision.
Judy explained that it came down to availability and health. After extensive screening, the options were slim. “Only about 3 percent of donor sperm is from Black men,” she explained.
For the couple, the priority was simple: having a healthy child. Everything else, they say, was just noise. Despite the backlash, Judy praised her wife’s commitment throughout the process. “She's the most devoted mother in the world,” she said, noting that Da Brat, whose real name is Shawntae Harris-Dupart, loved “every minute” of her pregnancy. That journey, however, wasn’t without heartbreak. Before conceiving True Legend, they experienced a miscarriage. “It broke my heart,” Da Brat said. “But I wanted to try again. Thank God I didn't quit or give up.”
The Hip Hop legend described the pregnancy as challenging at times — “All those IVF hormones!” — but said motherhood ultimately felt like her calling. “It’s such a blessing,” she said. “After I get back from the radio show, I’m a stay-at-home mommy. I don’t know how I did anything else.”
“She’s the best mommy,” Judy added.
Da Brat previously apologized for her own sperm donor comments
As previously reported by REVOLT, Da Brat and Judy publicly addressed the backlash they received after comments about Black sperm donors aired on their TV show, “Brat Loves Judy.” Speaking on the “Tamron Hall Show” back in 2023, the “What'Chu Like” rapper explained that the donor search was more complicated than expected. “We thought when we got to the donor part, it would be a breeze — it would be easy,” she said.
When the couple met with a doctor on the show to discuss options, the conversation centered on how few Black sperm donors were available after medical and genetic screening. Da Brat explained that they scrolled through a list of potential donors and questioned why so few Black men fit their needs. The doctor then told them there was a short supply of available Black donors. During that exchange, Judy asked, “Our baby daddy can’t be Black?” Brat replied, “Yeah, if he lookin’ like Jiminy Cricket. ‘Cause the one or two Black people I saw, that thing ain’t [about] to be looking like my child.”
Da Brat clarified that her remarks were not meant to offend Black men and acknowledged how the moment was received by viewers. “I didn’t think it would be offensive to anybody,” she said. “I cracked jokes about almost everybody that I saw. That one just happened to make it in the show. I wasn’t trying to be mean or say, like, anything negative about Black people. We were looking for a Black donor… It was just misconstrued and taken way out of context… If I offended anybody, I do apologize.”
Inside Da Brat and Judy Dupart’s new book, “The Way Love Goes”
The couple shares these moments and more in their new book, “The Way Love Goes,” which blends memoir and relationship guidance. The book traces their love story, marriage, and transition into parenthood, offering an unfiltered look at communication, balance, and resilience as a couple.