ANTONIA “TOYA” CARTER GETS CANDID
Pregnant at 14, baby at 15. Such was the harsh reality for reality star Antonia “Toya” Carter nearly ten years ago. Fast-forward to 2009, Antonia Carter is one of the stars of a successful reality show.
In an exclusive interview with BET, Antonia explains why she is more than just Lil Wayne’s ex-wife and why her main focus is her daughter Reginae,10.
On raising a daughter at 15 :
“My family would tell me things like “you made your bed hard, now you have to sleep in it.” I did. I was pregnant at 14 and all the other girls were going to their high school dances and I was inside with my daughter. It made me grow up real fast. I’m enjoying my life now though. My daughter and I are growing up together, so I’m able to do things with her that I never got the chance to do.”
On having to move on from her daughter’s father, rapper Lil Wayne:
“It was so crazy because it’s not like [moving on from] your average Joe. He was always on the radio, on every song, every time you turn on the television you see this person, every magazine you pick up, he’s in it, every song, he’s on it. It was hard, but I did it with prayer.” “You know, I’m not going to sit up here and say that it was easy getting over Wayne, getting over heartbreak. I’m over it all the way now because it’s been a few years, but I went through it then. There was a lot I dealt with, but I had to keep strong because I was raising my daughter. I can’t let a man bring me down. I had to remain strong and pray about the situation, ask God to help get over this heartbreak and deal with it and move forward. And I looked at it like this - everything happens for a reason. I just kept praying and things just worked out and I love the way it is right now. We have a great friendship, we both moved on with our lives, and our main focus is on raising our daughter.”
On Lil Wayne’s relationship with Reginae:
“We both have a good relationship with her. We’re both able to be parents to her and that’s all I ever wanted, for real. If things didn’t work out, I didn’t want him to just completely walk away and not have a relationship with me. You know, because my mom and dad didn’t have a relationship and that kind of messed us up.”
On her relationship with Lil Wayne:
“We’re cool. That’s my daughter’s father. I’m going to always have feelings for him, but I’ve moved on.”
On wanting more kids:
“…I want to get married again and hopefully have one more kid.”
Why does she have to make that face? The child took a better picture.
Wouldn’t it be nice to see her spoiling her daughter and exposing her to the world instead of having her in a singing group, gyrating and heading towards show business. She could afford to treat her daughter more like Kimora treats her girls. I don’t know why we push so hard to keep our little girls from just being “little girls”.
can’t expose your child to something you’ve never had the opportunity to take part in. You can only education with the knowledge that you have, no matter how limited that might be.
how old is Antonia?
She’s 24
Thanks to all who answered the age question!
25
Toya is 25.
I love this picture of the two of the. They look soo happy.
I believe she is 24 or 25. She had reginae when she was 15 and she is not 10.
I like Toya and Reginae and whatever arrangements they have going on.
looks like something else caught her attention. but this is a pretty picture.
its nice to know that she took care of her responsibility and didnt go abort it like most kids do these days, even though fifteen is a very very very young age. i’m 16 and cant see myself taking care of a baby no time soon.
i think she like 10
oh my bad i didn’t mean toya i thought it said reginae…*blush* lol
like toya and reginae, i got to grow up with my parents too, thats a positive of having teen parents, you face the challenges together.(not condoning it all tho so dont shoot lol)
Could you please explain that statement? I’m not in anyway trying to be rude but I honestly don’t understand what could be so great about having a teenager as a parent.
Maybe because you guys are so close in age their were more understanding with some of the issues that you had to deal with as a young person. Or maybe they were just fun and cool. Do explain
all of your maybes are correct, you face challenges TOGETHER, and there is more understanding, also it makes the CHILD realize how hard the parents job is, so they wont want to repeat the cycle…
She seems like a good mother
However, I still wish she didn’t have a tv show. It’s kind of like “let’s praise celebrity baby mamas.” I know she wants to show the world that there’s more to her than just being lil wayne’s “baby mama,” but why not accomplish all you want in life FIRST and then show the world how successful you are on your own without wayne’s help?
I guess my opinion doesn’t matter since I haven’t watched BET since Deborah Lee took over :/
Anyway, I wish her the greatest success
wishful thinking candice, but hopefully the people watching her show will realize the only reason she’s doing well is because her child is being supported and she’s moved on from an unhealthy relationship…many people can learn from that
^ i didn’t mean to make that a reply. sorry
She just did. I’m not being rude either but I got the answers to your question from her original statement.
thank you
She looks so yung. =)
Congratulations on everything, Toya! I was PLEASANTLY surprised when I watched your reality show. It was a lot better than I expected. It was great to see you reconnect with your younger brother that you helped to raise. As an aspiring writer myself, I was rooting for you when you were trying to get a book deal and was excited when you finally snagged an agent. And I’m really glad that you have gotten Little Wayne out of your system and have started dating again. You have a beautiful daughter and prayerfully God will bless you with a new marriage and another child like you’ve hoped for.
What a beautiful comment…I wish Toya nothing but the best because she surely deserves it.
I loved the Tiny and Toya show as well. There was alot of negative press about it but that was to be expected. I love how it focused on the two women wanting to better themselves as women and wanting better for their family.
I wish her and her family the best and she will definitely be successful as long as she stays focus and remain positive.
yes im big fan of the toya n tiny show….they r refreshing n send out positive messages…Thank u tiny & toya
all i can say is wow!
I think Reginae is so cute! I was a hotboy fan back then and remember lil wayne talkin about his daughter. It’s crazy how time goes by. I couldn’t imagine having a baby at 15 so I gotta give Toya and Wayne two thumbs up for doing what they had to do for there daughter.
i love Tiny and Toya. That show is awesome
you obviously do not require high standards for TV shows. I put it into the category of Black Exploitation shows. Raise your standards.
Reginae looks a lot like Wayne! I can’t wait to see his other 20 kids! I tried to watch Tiny & Toya’s show but couldn’t get past Tiny’s speech impediment, oops I mean accent.
LMAO… I know what you mean! I lived in ATL for my first two years of college and noticed depending on where you went some ppl talked like the had a stroke, some half coherent, and other’s talked normal (regular clear English)… It bothered the hell out of me but after a year I got use to the dialect and could understand half of it.
Tiny’s part of the show… I don’t even know why her half even mattered or existed. Because to be honest when she was with Xscape she did not talk that bad so I don’t know if she was putting in extra effort to sound ignorant or tv or what. All they showed her doing was allowing TI to control everything she wanted to do in life by threatening to leave if she decided to do anything outside of the house… I honestly think he’s more afraid of her being more successful than him. She was the coon on the show.
But Toya was the only one trying to uplift herself with writing the book, making amends with family, setting her parents straight for their bad parenting, and trying to find positive ppl to surround herself with.
Although, I do honestly think the show could’ve been wrapped up in a 1 hour special.
I like the way Reginae looks in this pic because she actually looks like a child and is dressed like a 10 year old…
I think Toya is a great women with good morals. She loves her daughter and family alot and that is where some women get mixed up at because sometimes they let these men get to their head and go crazy. The media and EVERYONE else needs to understand where Toya is coming from before they be so judgemental. She met Wayne at a young age and no one else really loved her and back then, he meant the world to her but things change and people change and that was not easy to get over but now she has overcome that situation and she is focused on her and Rejinae and their lives.
Mother and daughter are so cute, and raw. By saying this, I mean that obviously, money and success are new to this young lady, and she has opportunities for her and the baby that she could never have imagined. So, instead of being critical, we need to lift this young lady up, as we should all our young black women, and only offer positive “food” that will nourish her. I was born into similar conditions, and had it not been for my wise old “Aintee” I would not have even known what it meant to grow from the lessons that life was surely teaching me instead of being constantly criticized. Aintee taught me “that all sickness ain’t death”. i pray Ms. Carter nourishes her spirit and mind, and set the best examples for her baby.
i’m glad she stepped up at an early age. from watching the show, she seems like a good mother. I hope she finds a second love and moves on. she deserves it.
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nice pic. i love me sum toya. she seems nice & well mannered. bt she still seems in love wit wayne.
she is not kimora. kimora girls are exposed to the fashion world and they model for baby phat following after their mother. toya and lil wayne are entertainers they are exposing their daughter to what they are.
Well they need to look farther up the ladder. Now that they have the money they should aspire for better things for the children. That little girl should not be learning to be a part of any singing group. She needs to be exposed to something more in life. I wouldn’t let Tiny guide my child anywhere. They are still very crude and could use a lot of help so that they can better help their children. They have the money to be able to do this now they just need to get guidance.
i dont understand why this chick is famous. SHE HAS NEVER HAD A JOB. im not hating, but seriously? is she famous for being an ex, or for being a baby mama? which one is it??? she has done nothing commendable that plenty of black women have not already done.
Ashleigh, I agree with you. They’ve done nothing that is worthy of being televised. There are so many other stories and lives that could be hightlighted on television. But I always have to remember that this network used to belong to Bob Johnson who exposed his ignorance during the Democratic campaign, which means BET will continue to showcase this type of show that is indigative of Johnson’s intelligence.
I Love The Show..Tiny Nd Toya…Reginae Is A Very Pretty Little Girl..As Far As Her Wanting 2 Be a Performer..There Is Nothing Wrong Wit That.She Is Only 10..They is Always Time for Her 2 Change her mind…Wat can u expect..she probably wants 2 be jus like her dad…regardless of wat we think of him..she looks up 2 him…
I guess it’s just difficult for me to understand that when you have the finances one can have so low expectations of life.
What is so wrong with the little girl wanting to be in a group? There are lots of children out there who want to be performers. As long as she’s getting her education as well…if that’s what she wants to do then it’s good for her parents to support her.