Eve Leaned on ‘Queens’ Co-Stars Brandy and Naturi Naughton For Pregnant Support During Filming
Eve couldn’t be happier now that she’s expecting her first baby. The rapper and former co-host of The Talk announced her pregnancy after years of infertility struggles. While pregnant, Eve filmed a new ABC comedy-drama and she says her co-stars and fellow mothers, Brandy and Naturi Naughton, were extremely supportive.
Eve says her ‘Queens’ co-stars are supportive of her pregnancy
The Barbershop star tells ESSENCE Magazine that she received the call to return to set for Queens after a brief hiatus. At the time, she was nervous to travel due to recently discovering she was expecting.
“I hadn’t told anybody; I couldn’t,” she says. “Also, I was just not ready and I was also like, ‘Oh my God.’ You know how in life sometimes things all happen at the same time? So I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve gotta leave home and I’m pregnant.’”
Related: What Happened to Rapper Eve’s Clothing Line, Fetish?
Luckily, Brandy and Naughton are both working mothers themselves. When Eve finally broke the news, she says her co-stars offered the greatest support. “Honestly, it’s so nice to be on set with women who are in this business. Naturi, specifically, she had been filming Power while she was pregnant with her daughter, Zuri, and so she gave me lots of advice, and Brandy as well,” Eve says. “Brandy, she’s such a sweetheart, I love them both.”
Eve says her co-stars were also great advocates for her on set, especially during lengthy filming dates. “Just being supportive of me and, also, speaking up for me, that was a big deal,” Eve says. “Sometimes on set if I was really tired, Naturi would speak up for me and so would Brandy, like, ‘C’mom guys, you know she’s pregnant.’ That was really nice to have people who understood my position.”
The rapper has long-dreamed of becoming a mother
Eve married Maximillion Cooper in 2014. The two began dating in 2010. Though Eve is a stepmother to Cooper’s four children from a previous relationship, she has dreamed of starting a family of her own. Unfortunately, the couple experienced some issues in terms of conceiving.
Related: Why ‘The Talk’ Co-Host Eve’s Sitcom Was Cancelled
She learned that a medical condition was the root of her fertility issues. “I had 14 fibroids that I didn’t even know that I had,” she told the hosts of The Breakfast Club. Eve underwent a surgical procedure to have the fibroids removed. She credits her current physicians for taking her fertility concerns seriously.
Now, she’s making it part of her mission to encourage other women to be vocal with their doctors, specifically in terms of trying to conceive. “Periods are not supposed to be painful but Black women are told otherwise,” she says. She adds that it’s important for women to be their own advocates for their uterine health.
She learned of her pregnancy before a major career event
Though Eve was newly pregnant while filming the remaining first season of Queens, she made the initial discovery just days before she highly anticipated Verzus battle against Trina. She was set to fly to Miami, Trina’s hometown, for the battle, but chose not to due to fear so early on in her pregnancy.
Instead, she performed live from London where she lives. She admits she was nervous the entire time, joking: “I was stressed out and I was like, ‘Am I standing too much?’ And I kept thinking about the baby – I was like, ‘Am I standing too much? Am I rapping too loud? Can you rap when you’re pregnant?’” Eve stars as Professor Sex on Queens.
The show airs every Tuesday on ABC at 10p EST.
