Ice-T’s 3 Kids: All About LeTesha, Tracy Jr. and Chanel

Ice-T (born Tracy Lauren Marrow) is known for many things: his rap career, acting and, more recently, his outspoken views on parenting.

The Law and order: SVU star became a parent for the first time in 1976 with the birth of daughter LeTesha, 47, who he shares with high school girlfriend Adrienne. Then in 1991, he had a son, Tracy Jr., 32, with ex-girlfriend Darlene Ortiz. Two decades later, Ice-T welcomed his third child, daughter Chanel Nicole, 8, in 2015 with wife Coco Austin.

Ice-T and Coco’s shared parenting style has made headlines, but the rapper remains firm in his belief that “everyone parents differently.”

“You have to be out of your mind to care what anybody else has to say,” Ice-T told PEOPLE. “Our parentage is a lot different than a normal, blocky couple from Oklahoma. I’m a fucking rock star, that’s different.”

He added: “We’re like the Osbournes. We have a different dynamic in our house. But that’s not harmful. That’s the main thing. That’s who we are.”

Ice-T and Coco decided to raise Chanel without the help of a nanny. He called his wife a “super mom” while talking to PEOPLE in December 2023.

“If you’re lucky enough to be able to stay home with your kids, that’s the most amazing and rewarding thing you can do, raise a child,” he said. “So don’t let any woman make you feel any way. You do the work. She picks up Chanel, she goes to school, she takes her back, she takes her to Kung Fu, she takes her to all these things.”

While Ice-Ta’s older, now grown children prefer to stay out of the limelight, 8-year-old Chanel is trying to steal it from her famous parents, who often share glimpses of their daughter’s sassy personality on social media.

In February 2023, all three of Ice-T’s children gathered for their father’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony. The Law and order the actor, who was joined on stage by Chanel, thanked his family for his success.

“Let me give a shout out to my family,” he said during his speech. “My son, my daughter, Coco my wife. [Chanel], who is clearly in a position to one day stand behind one of those lecterns. She has no stage fright.”

Keep reading to find out all about Ice-T’s three children.

LeTesha Marrow, 47

Rob Kim/Getty

Ice-T had his first daughter, LeTesha Marrow, while he was still in high school. LeTesha was born on March 20, 1976 to mother Adrienne, who was Ice-T’s girlfriend at the time, although there is little public information about her.

The rapper later reflected on having children at a young age, admitting that he wasn’t as focused on parenthood back then.

“When I had my first child, I was in the middle of the wilderness to become Ice-T, all the people following me, and I had my head down,” he told PEOPLE in 2016. “I really wasn’t focused on them I was focused on survival.”

In 1995, LeTesha welcomed her son, Elyjah Marrow, making Ice-T the first grandfather. Although LeTesha mostly avoids the limelight, she has appeared in a few episodes of her father’s reality show Ice loves Coco together with his son.

In 2015, at the age of 19, LeTesha’s son Elyjah was arrested after accidentally shooting his roommate, Daryus Johnson. Elyjah was later indicted on various charges, including involuntary manslaughter, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of more than an ounce of marijuana, theft by receiving stolen property and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Tracy Marrow Jr., 32

Scott Dudelson/Getty

Ice-T and then-girlfriend Darlene Ortiz welcomed their son, Tracy Marrow Jr., on November 23, 1991. Ice-T met Ortiz on the set of a movie Break in‘ in 1984 and the two dated for 17 years before calling it quits in 2000.

Tracy Jr., also known as “Lil’ Ice,” followed in his father’s footsteps by pursuing a music career. He is a member of Ice-T’s heavy metal band Body Count and has performed with his father on stage on various occasions.

In the 2015 interview Complex, Ortiz spoke about the similarities between her son and his father. “I couldn’t even imagine someone who could surpass my father, but he is so much more than his father,” she said. “Ice would take anything and conquer it. But this one? His little seed, this kid. It was so much fun. He does everything: flies planes, plays poker, golf, already has a hole in one – who even does that in their life ?”

Tracy Jr. is also ambassador for Raising Cane’s, an American fast food chain, together with his father.

Chanel Nicole Marrow, 8

Chanel Marrow Instagram

After almost 14 years of marriage, Ice-T and Coco welcomed their first child together, a daughter named Chanel Nicole Marrow, on November 28, 2015.

The longtime couple were candid about why they waited more than a decade to have a child.

“There were a lot of things I wanted to finish before I had a baby,” Coco told PEOPLE shortly after welcoming Chanel.

Ice-T supported her decision, adding, “Just because I’m done clubbing and partying doesn’t mean she is.” He continued: “It’s like Disneyland. I can’t say, ‘You don’t want to go, all the rides are crap.’ You have to drive.”

Despite wanting to wait to have children, Coco believed it was her destiny to be a mother.

I am 100 percent all-in, she said then. “I think motherhood has always been my calling. I wish I’d let it happen sooner, but this is perfect. I’m dedicating my entire life to molding this little nugget into a fantastic person.”

Coco Austin’s Instagram

Chanel has been in the spotlight since she was a baby, making her first appearance late at night on Tonight’s show with only 4 months. She then made her New York Fashion Week debut alongside her parents when she was 1 year old.

Now 8, Chanel is a natural performer, according to her parents. “She watches her dad at concerts that he has all the time — she sees him moving around with the mic, so now she knows how to talk on the mic and let the audience have it,” Coco told PEOPLE in 2017.

Coco often dresses herself and Chanel in matching outfits – from everyday wear to costumes and bikinis for Halloween. But despite matching mom’s look, Chanel is daddy’s mini, and fans regularly point out the resemblance between the two on social media.

Ice-T and Coco have faced backlash online for some of their parenting choices, including allowing Chanel to have nail tips for picture day at school and Coco’s decision to continue breastfeeding her. But the couple aren’t letting the hate get to them – after receiving criticism for wearing Chanel in the kitchen sink, Coco defended her “unconventional” parenting style on Twitter.

“Wow, wow! Here we go again! My little girl’s bath in the sink went viral?” she wrote. “People, you must know by now that I am an unconventional mother. I do what works for me and what is easier for me. Some may want to take some guidance and not criticize me!”

Despite her strong showing, Coco has been open about the difficulties of “being under the microscope” and how she struggles with mum-shaming. During the performance at Show Tamron Hallthe model gushed after watching a video made for her by Ice-T, in which he praises her mothering skills.

“I’m under a microscope all the time, and you don’t hear what you’re doing well,” she told Hall as she cried. “You don’t hear goodness, you only hear a lot of bad. And I know I’m a good mother.”

She continued: “I’ve dedicated the last six years, putting everything aside, my career, everything, just for her… And you just want a little love, you want a little respect from people.”

Ice-T Instagram

Ever ready to have his wife’s back, Ice-T also opened up about the couple’s unique parenting methods.

“I’ve never been embarrassed because who can embarrass me? Who’s the perfect parent?” Ice-T told PEOPLE in 2018, “Parenting is a work in progress and all kids are different. People have to mind their own business and take care of their kids. We’ve got that covered.”

When she’s not defending her family from internet hate, she’s proudly showing them off on social media. Shortly after welcoming Chanel, Ice-T told PEOPLE that he was obsessed with taking pictures of his daughter, despite vowing to never be that type of father.

“I take a lot of pictures. I’m the same guy that you go, ‘Oh, my daughter…’ and before I know it, I’m showing you pictures. I said I’m not going to be that guy,” he shared, adding, “but now I’m just like, ‘Wait, look,’ and, ‘Wait, look at this one,’ and, ‘Wait a minute, wait.’ You can’t help it. You’re just happy.”

His wife and daughter were also by his side when his band Body Count won their first Grammy in 2021, as Coco documented on Twitter.

Show in the hall Tamron/Youtube

In May 2023, Chanel wished Coco a Happy Mother’s Day in one episode Tamron Hall. In the episode’s preview, Chanel joined Coco on stage, where Hall asks the little girl if she wants to tell her mom anything.

“The first time I was born, I loved you,” she said sweetly.

“The first moment?” Coco asked, to which Chanel replied, “Yes, the first moment! The first moment I was born.”

A few months later, Coco shared on Instagram that Chanel had taken up a new hobby – kung fu.

“Soon to be my little bodyguard,” she wrote alongside several photos of Chanel in a martial arts class.

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Source: HIS Education