Highlights

• Robert James Ritchie Jr. pursued a different path from his rockstar father, Kid Rock, becoming a family man early on.
• Despite a challenging upbringing, Robert is carving out his own music career and has a full-time job for security.
• Robert refuses to ride on his father's fame, graduating from college and working hard to support his own family.

Kid Rock’s 30-year-old son, Robert James Ritchie Jr., couldn’t be a more different figure than his rockstar father. He became a family man at a young age (21), rather than becoming a party animal like Kid Rock. He was at home studying when his dad was out drinking late, getting into trouble, and having fun with his many love interests. Even so, he was mainly raised by his party-animal father, because Kid Rock could provide better means of support than his mother, Kelly South, could.

Despite everything he had going against him, Robert became a well-rounded, even-keeled individual. He refuses to ride his father’s coattails to fame, even though music is perhaps the only thing they have in common. Like his father, Robert showed that he wanted to get into music early, and he’s just started pursuing his career. But, he has a full-time job to fall back on if that doesn’t pan out.

Updated April 2024: Robert James Ritchie Jr. has lived a lifestyle very different from that of his father, Kid Rock. Robert has been with his now-wife, Marisa Trovato since they were in high school. The two share two children, Skye and Ryder and have been married since December 2021. Robert has decided to follow in his father's footsteps and became a singer. He finished his second album in December 2023, and it's expected to be released in 2024.

15 Robert James Ritchie Jr. Became A Dad In His Early 20s

Robert James Ritchie Jr. and Marisa Trovato welcomed daughter, Skye in 2014

Robert James Ritchie Jr. is Kid Rock’s only son. When Robert and his now-wife, Marisa Trovato welcomed a daughter, Skye, into the household in 2014, he was in his early 20s. That made Kid Rock a grandpa at the ripe young age of 43.

Us Weekly first brought the news to the world that Marisa was pregnant with their daughter.

14 Kid Rock Won The Custody Battle Over Robert James Ritchie Jr.

Kid Rock went through a bitter custody battle to gain custody of Robert James Ritchie Jr.

When Robert was still a youngster, Kid Rock and his baby mama, Kelley South Russell, got involved in a vicious custody battle over the boy. Robert was born in 1993, and the custody battle took place in 2000 when he was just seven years old.

The custody fight was grueling, but Kid Rock ultimately proved he’d be the more responsible adult. He won full custody of Robert, with Russell reportedly being ordered to pay a mere $25 per week in child support.

13 Robert James Ritchie Jr. Is A Singer

Robert James Ritchie Jr. released his debut album in 2018 and his sophomore album is due out in 2024

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, as the saying goes. Like his famous rockstar father, Robert has taken to singing and music. Robert's influences range from Bruno Mars to Jackie Wilson.

In 2018, he released his new single, “Exstacy,” and then collaborated with Kid Rock on the track, "Bad Reputation."

Robert's debut album is due out in 2024.

12 Robert James Ritchie Jr. Is A College Graduate

Robert James Ritchie Jr. graduated from Belmont University

Kid Rock is very proud of his son, but not just because of his musical pursuits in the family tradition. He is proud because Robert graduated from Belmont University in Nashville.

As Kid Rock told Rolling Stone when discussing becoming a grandfather, "Listen, my son graduated from college and he has a job."

He went on to say that it was a relief that his son graduated from college because he could only imagine the stress he put on his own parents.

11 Robert James Ritchie Jr. Doesn’t Let His Celebrity Parent Define Him

Robert James Ritchie Jr. has always forged his own path, never riding on Kid Rock's coattails

Robert knows how famous his father is, but he refuses to live in Kid Rock's shadow or even follow in his footsteps. What that means is that Robert doesn’t use his name to measure his success. He is his "own person" (as he said on social media), and having children to give him balance was something he "was seriously in need of."

It would be a tough thing to follow in Kid Rock’s footsteps, but Robert is doing it with aplomb.

10 Robert James Ritchie Jr. Didn't Have A Great Fatherly Role Model

Robert James Ritchie Jr. grew up watching Kid Rock be a partying rock star father

Kid Rock wasn’t the greatest fatherly role model. With all the shenanigans, legal battles, and breakups with famous women, Robert was exposed to a lot at a very young age.

As Kid Rock told The Guardian, "I could have set a better example for my son."

But, even though that may be the case, Robert seems to have turned out just fine.

9 Robert James Ritchie Jr. Is A Marvel Fan

Robert James Ritchie Jr. loves Marvel and dressed up as Spider-Man with the family for Halloween one year

Like many people in the world, Robert is a fan of all things Marvel. Where he got his love for the comics or when his interest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe began is not clear. But Robert's allegiance lies with Marvel versus DC, a fact that has been the case for some time.

8 Robert James Ritchie Jr. Isn’t A Party Animal Like His Dad

Robert James Ritchie Jr. has never been one for partying like his father, instead choosing to be a homebody

Kid Rock was known as one of the biggest party animals of his generation, which is why he’s so loved and hated by many. He made plenty of mistakes in his day. But, as Kid Rock once told The Guardian, "the partying gene skips a generation," and that seems to be the case for Robert. This likely had to do with being in a solid relationship from a young age and being a young father. Both of which led to Robert being more of a family man than a partying one.

7 Robert James Ritchie Jr. Is A Big Football Fan

Robert James Ritchie Jr. is a Detroit Lions fan

It should come as no surprise that Robert is a big Detroit Lions fan or football fan in general, since his father is so vocal about his Detroit roots. Robert often posts pictures on his Facebook or Instagram of him and the family in full Detroit Lions regalia. so that there’s no question who they are rooting for on any given Sunday.

6 Robert James Ritchie Jr. Doesn’t Drink Coffee

Robert James Ritchie Jr. chooses to drink tea over coffee to get his caffeine boost

This doesn’t really say anything about the man, other than it’s an interesting tidbit: Robert doesn’t drink coffee, according to his social media. Instead, he drinks "usually tea w/honey or hot chocolate." A great source of caffeine for a dad of two young kids working hard on his music career.

5 Robert James Ritchie Jr. Was The Reason For His Dad Divorcing Pamela Anderson

Pamela Anderson made comments about Robert James Ritchie Jr's mother in front of him

Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson had a whirlwind romance that was the headline of every tabloid for years. In 2006, when Kid Rock and Anderson tied the knot, it was one of the biggest celebrity weddings of the year.

Their relationship didn’t last long, and according to Us Weekly, that was because Pamela Anderson “reportedly criticized Kid Rock’s mother and sister in front of Bobby Ritchie Jr." After that happened, Kid Rock filed for divorce. Something that happened after just five months of marriage.

4 Robert James Ritchie Jr.'s First Single Was Released In 2018

Robert James Ritchie Jr. released "Exstacy" in 2018

Robert's music career was just getting off to a start. In 2018 he released the R&B-flavored single, “Exstacy,” off his debut album. The video of the song features James serenading a girl and then the two of them sharing a shower together at the end.

Kid Rock was very proud of his son for the release, and wrote on Twitter, “He sure can sing and I'm very proud of him!”

James had released other songs in the past, such as “Bad,” a hip-hop jam in January of 2018, and “All Alone,” an R&B ballad, in 2017.

3 Robert James Ritchie Jr. Worked A "Normal" Job

Robert James Ritchie Jr. worked at an Apple Store to support his family

While music was his passion, Robert had to make ends meet to provide for his family. He did that by working at a very normal job as an Apple store employee.

As he’s stated before, "I had my daughter at 21 years old not knowing what I was gonna do. But I put in the work and I refused to ride coattails."

That about sums up Robert's life: hardworking, refusing to ride other people’s coattails, and supportive of his family.

2 Robert James Ritchie Jr.'s Mother Stabbed Kid Rock

Robert James Ritchie Jr's mother stabbed Kid Rock in the leg with a fork

Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson may have had a tumultuous relationship, but the relationship Kid Rock had with Robert's mother was even more so.

Rock told Howard Stern that he divorced Anderson because she was negatively affecting his son, but he didn’t mention that Robert's mother had a substance abuse problem and a violent temper. As a result, in 1995, she actually stabbed the singer in the leg with a knife during a fight, yet the two remained together for several more years.

1 Robert James Ritchie Jr. Married His High School Sweetheart

Robert James Ritchie Jr. and Marisa Trovato got married in 2021

Robert has been with his partner, Marisa Trovato for over 15 years. The duo first met back in high school and have been at each other's side ever since. Bobby, Marisa, Skye, and Ryder are quite the happy family. Both Robert and Marisa share their heartfelt moments on Instagram, making it clear that Robert has done well in both his professional and personal lives, paving his own way for both.

Source: US Weekly