Proud Papas: Celebrity Dads Celebrating Their First Father's Day

Father’s Day hits a little differently when it’s your very first one.

Across entertainment, sports, and pop culture, a new generation of Black celebrity dads is stepping into fatherhood and celebrating their first Father’s Day with diaper duty, baby cuddles, and plenty of unforgettable milestones. From chart-topping artists to reality TV favorites and former athletes, these stars are embracing one of life’s most rewarding roles: being a dad.

Here are a few celebrity fathers celebrating their very first Father’s Day this year.

Mario

Father’s Day is taking on a new meaning for Mario this year.

The R&B singer, best known for hits including “Let Me Love You,” is celebrating his first Father’s Day after welcoming a baby boy, Lord Nasir Barrett, with girlfriend Esmeralda Rios earlier this year.

Mario announced the arrival of his son in January, sharing a hospital selfie on Instagram Stories while still dressed in scrubs from the delivery room. The singer, born Mario Dewar Barrett, jokingly dubbed himself “Doctor Barrett” before reflecting on the experience of witnessing Lord Nasir’s birth.

“Women are God’s greatest creation cuz what I witness today was ONLY GOD’S work!” he wrote. “Healthy baby boy!”

The milestone arrival came just months after Mario revealed the couple was expecting. In August, he shared a photo of his hand resting on Rios’ baby bump and expressed his excitement about becoming a father.

“It’s a whole universe in there! 🥹 I can’t wait,” he wrote at the time.

Now, nearly five months after welcoming Lord Nasir, the proud papa is officially marking his first Father’s Day.

Eric Murphy

Eric Murphy and his wife, Jasmin Lawrence Murphy, welcomed their daughter, Ari Skye, earlier this year, making this Father’s Day especially meaningful for the new dad.

Jasmin, the daughter of actor Martin Lawrence, gave birth to Ari Skye in April 2026. Which means, Eric, the eldest son of comedy legend Eddie Murphy, and Jasmin have officially made their famous fathers “co-grandfathers.”

During an interview with E! News at the American Film Institute Achievement Award Ceremony on April 18, Eddie Murphy confirmed the exciting news.

“They just had a baby girl,” Murphy told the outlet. “They just had her two weeks ago, or a week ago. Yeah, Ari. Ari Skye.”

Before welcoming their daughter, the couple celebrated with a lavish pink-themed baby shower featuring roses, extravagant balloon displays, and a stunning floral cake. Family members and loved ones, including their celebrity parents, gathered to celebrate the growing family.

“The most beautiful and special celebration for our baby girl ,” Jasmin captioned a few highlight photos from the shower on March 10. “Thank you to our parents and everyone that made this day so magical! Ari Skye Murphy, you are SO loved already!!”

Andre Levrone Jr.

Former NFL player Andre Levrone Jr. is preparing for a Father’s Day unlike any other.

Levrone Jr. and his wife, Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, announced in January that they are expecting their first child together. The couple shared the news on Instagram with heartfelt photos and touching captions celebrating the next chapter in their lives.

“Made a human with my favorite human,” Levrone Jr. captioned a photo of him and Sydney holding a sonogram image of their little one. “Oh, how we have prayed for you… and the Lord has answered!! You are our greatest blessing and are already so loved. We are eagerly waiting to meet you! 🫶🏽🤍 Cool parents loading…”

The announcement became even sweeter in May when the couple revealed they were expecting a baby girl. In a video shared on social media, the pair cut into a white cake to reveal pink filling inside.

While their daughter may not have arrived by Father’s Day, Levrone Jr. is already embracing the journey to fatherhood, making this holiday a special milestone for the growing family.

Ollie Sutherland

Reality television star Ollie Sutherland is fully embracing life as a girl dad.

The Love Is Blind UK and Perfect Match personality welcomed a daughter with wife Amber “AD” Sutherland in January 2026. Amber first announced the news on Jan.12, sharing a collection of maternity photos alongside a candid image taken just four days postpartum.

Since then, Ollie has proudly documented fatherhood on social media, sharing sweet moments with his daughter and showcasing his playful personality. In one particularly adorable video, he entertained his baby girl with impressions of Disney Channel characters, earning plenty of laughs from the little one.

On June 2, the proud dad shared another heartwarming clip of himself dancing through the living room with his daughter while singing along to Aladdin’s “A Whole New World.”

“I used to stumble out of the club at 5 am and crawl out of bed at 1pm. Now I’m up at 7AM dancing to Alladin’s Greatest Hits,” he captioned the adorable clip.

From late nights out to early mornings with his daughter, Sutherland appears to be loving every minute of fatherhood.

21 Savage

We know, we know, he’s technically not a first-time dad, but we had to put “Big Mama’s” “Big Papa” on the list.

21 Savage is celebrating his first Father’s Day with rumored girlfriend Latto this year.

On May 21, the “Bank Account” rapper shared a joint Instagram post with Latto, seemingly fueling speculation that they had welcomed their first child together. The post featured an image of a knife adorned with a cheetah-print design but included no caption, leaving fans to connect the dots themselves.

Observers quickly noticed that the knife resembled 21 Savage’s signature forehead tattoo, a symbol that appeared in decorations at Latto’s baby shower earlier this year. The cheetah-print design also mirrored Latto’s album cover art.

The cryptic post arrived just days after Latto appeared to hint at the birth of her first child. Around the same time, 21 Savage added to the speculation by posting a photo of a newborn wearing a onesie featuring the logo of his favorite soccer club, Arsenal F.C.

While this may be 21 Savage’s first Father’s Day with Latto, it’s far from his first time celebrating fatherhood.

The rapper, who burst onto the hip-hop scene with the release of Savage Mode in 2016, is already a proud father of three children: sons Kamari and Ashaad and daughter Rhian. Although 21 Savage has largely kept his family life out of the spotlight, he has spoken openly about the impact his children have had on his life and career.

In a 2024 appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast, the rapper reflected on the importance of fatherhood and the legacy he hopes to leave behind.

“I feel like that’s where your legacy counts the most,” 21 Savage shared. “When you think of all the legends you be like, ‘Damn I wonder what they son doing, what they kids look like,’ that’s who carries on everything.”

He also revealed that becoming a father was always part of his vision for the future, telling Sharpe that he “always wanted to have kids” and that parenting feels like “second nature” and “everything” to him.

While fans know him for his chart-topping hits, fatherhood may prove to be his most meaningful project yet.

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