Jay-Z’s Mom Gloria Carter Marries Her Longtime Partner Roxanne Wilshire
Written by laserteam on July 4, 2023
(Complex) – Gloria Carter, mother of Jay-Z, tied the knot with longtime partner Roxanne Wilshire in New York City on Sunday night.
TMZ reports that Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, Tina Knowles-Lawson, Tyler Perry, and Robin Roberts were among those who attended the star-studded wedding in Tribeca and subsequent reception that sources said didn’t conclude until around 1 a.m.
Jay-Z opened up about his mother coming out to him on “Smile,” a track off his 2017 album 4:44.
“Mama had four kids, but she’s a lesbian/Had to pretend so long that she’s a thespian/Had to hide in the closet, so she medicate/Society shame and the pain was too much to take,” he rapped. “Cried tears of joy when you fell in love/Don’t matter to me if it’s a him or her/I just wanna see you smile through all the hate/Marie Antoinette, baby, let ’em eat cake.
Jay-Z confirmed in an interview with David Letterman on the Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction that he did shed tears of joy upon discovering his mother fell in love.
“Imagine having to live your life as someone else and you think you’re protecting your kids,” he explained. “For her to sit in front of me and tell me ‘I think I love someone,’ I really cried…I cried because I was so happy for her that she was free.”
In 2019, Hov thanked his mother for allowing him to share her story after he and Beyoncé received the Vanguard Award at the GLAAD Media Awards. Bey dedicated the award to her late Uncle Johnny, who not only made the prom dress referenced on “Heated,” but also introduced her to house music, which became the primary inspiration behind her Grammy-winning album Renaissance.
