Toni Braxton joined the rank of soulful divas who rose to fame in the 1990s, with her legendary power ballad Unbreak My Heart. The singer, who released her first album in 1993, is no stranger to recognizing the beauty in the world, whether she was singing about the beauty of love and hope, or as it applies to her personal life! Behind the mic, Braxton spends her time with her two sons, Denim Cole Braxton-Lewis, and Diezel Ky-Braxton Lewis. Denim and Diezel, born within two years of each other, have made quite a name for themselves, each working on their own path in life, both containing so much promise!
Denim and Diezel both have experience in their respective industries. Interestingly enough, they both have experienced a career pivot different from their mother. Braxton's sons, whom she shares with her ex-husband Keri Lewis, are on the path to dominating the entertainment industry in their own unique ways.
An Inside Look Into Denim Cole Braxton-Lewis
Being a teenager can be rough, especially if you have an incredibly famous parent, but Denim Cole Braxton-Lewis doesn't seem to be phased! Toni Braxton's oldest son is a down-to-Earth teen, who lives a life not very different from every one of us, recently celebrating many milestones! Denim's mother recently celebrated her son's monumental graduation from high school. According to Glamour Path, his mother was incredibly excited to see Denim graduate and commemorated the moment on her Instagram account! His aunt, Tamar Braxton, also chimed in on the celebratory moment; Tamar highlighted several of her nephew's traits, commenting "I'm so proud of the young Black man you are. [And] the goals you have set. The ones I know you'll meet..."
Tamar Braxton's belief her nephew would go places has merit; Denim seems not to be concerned with the idea of emulating his mother's fame or concerned with living a glamorous life! Before graduating from his New Jersey High School, Denim spent lots of time on the basketball court, playing for his school's team, via eCelebrityMirror.
When Denim isn't spending time on the court or earning the praises of his aunt and mother, the 18-year-old loves to spend time with his girlfriend. The lady in Denim's life came into his life through school; It is pretty safe to assume the pair may have bonded over entertainment. Makaila Teagle is a "Professional contemporary dancer," according to Glamour Path.
An Inside Look Into Diezel Braxton-Lewis
Brotherly love is important and incredibly strong for Denim. His younger brother, Diezel, was born in 2003.
The young Diezel made headlines early in his young life when he was diagnosed with Autism. His mother brought his diagnosis into the spotlight and chose to document Diezel's journey publicly. Diezel's autism diagnosis immediately drew controversy; many believe Autism is a life-long diagnosis, while Braxton vocally believed the disorder can be cured.
According to Us Weekly in an interview done with Braxton while Diezel was 11-years-old, Braxton credited her religious background for shaping her viewpoint about Autism, candidly sharing she viewed the diagnosis as a "Punishment," due to the fact she had previously "terminated a pregnancy." Braxton, however, did take the time during the interview to credit her son's uniqueness and praises Diezel as being "Special," and "Learns in a different way."
Braxton made it her mission to bring Autism as one of the most important elements she brings attention to through her platform. She became strongly involved with Autism Speaks, which is an organization that helps further the research around Autism. Along with her involvement with Autism Speaks, Braxton has shared many other elements regarding her relationship with Autism.
Braxton's journey with her son's Autism diagnosis continued to make headlines when she began to share an interesting development; Diezel began to make notable strides! In a candid interview with Ok! Magazine, Braxton shared, "He's a totally different kid. Completely different kid. Family members we haven’t seen since he was younger are like ‘oh my God, what happened? He’s talking, he’s social, he’s playing with other kids!’" This development took place when Diezel was eight years old. Braxton noted she was incredibly "Lucky" to have experienced such drastic improvements with Diezel.
Diezel and Denim had a sibling bond that was strong from the beginning! After his brother's diagnosis, the young Denim became protective over his brother. Braxton detailed how he came to respond to his brother's unique attributes. She revealed, "Once I talked to my son – you have to talk to the other siblings – once I spoke to my son and let him understand what was going on, he got it. Now he’s protective of his brother.”
In 2016, Braxton shared a frank development about Diezel's Autism diagnosis. She revealed to Access Hollywood via Essence, her son "Overcame" his diagnosis, and believed Diezel was no longer Autistic.
As a young adult, Diezel emerged in the modeling business and has a very dedicated following on social media. His mother has also been a big fan of documenting her family's life on social media, frequently posting snapshots of their surprisingly normal life as a family with a famous mother!
Diezel and Denim have made consistent moves to become their own people and show their unique attributes to the world! With so much promise, the two brothers are bound to make a bigger name for themselves as they navigate their twenties, a pivotal period of discovery for so many! There is so much for mama Toni Braxton to be proud of, with so much more to come.