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Why John Legend & Chrissy Teigen Have Been So Open About Building Their Family

The "All Of Me" singer took a step back in the months before his third child, Esti, was born, but will return to The Voice for Season 24. 

By Caitlin Schunn

John Legend and Chrissy Teigen have one of the most envied relationships in Hollywood. More than a decade later, they remain as in love as ever, with Teigen active on social media posting about both the singer, and their children. After Legend took a step back to focus on family, he’ll return to coach Season 24 of The Voice in Fall 2023 and Season 25 in Spring 2024.

How Did John Legend and Chrissy Teigen Meet?

Teigen famously starred as Legend’s love interest in his 2007 music video for “Stereo,” according to Time magazine. When the video shoot was finished, Teigen told the magazine they went back to Legend’s hotel room with some In-N-Out burgers, and have been inseparable ever since.

“We did the music video — we were together for like 12 hours,” Teigen said, according to Time. “We spent the entire day together — me in my underwear, and him in a full suit, and I went to say goodbye to him, to his hotel, and we didn’t ever say goodbye that night.”

How to Watch

Watch The Voice Monday, September 25 at 8/7c and Tuesday September 26 at 8/7c on NBC and next day on Peacock. 

RELATED: John Legend's Mother's Day Post for Chrissy Teigen Might Make You Cry

But it wouldn't be a true love story without some drama. Teigen told Cosmopolitan magazine there was a brief hiccup early on in their romance.

“I was on tour with him, and he’d gotten sick,” Teigen told the magazine. “He was feeling really bummed and stressed out. He was like, ‘I can’t be in a relationship right now.’ That lasted for one day. Literally a day…I always joke, ‘Remember when you tried to break up with me?’ He’s like, ‘Yes, sorry, big mistake.’”

Of course, their relationship is solid now. Case in point: Legend’s hit song “All Of Me” was written about Teigen, and she starred in the music video. It was shot in Lake Como, Italy in the time leading up to their wedding, and ended with actual footage of their wedding, according to Time. The two tied the knot on Sept. 14, 2013.

Who are John Legend's children?

Luna Simone Stephens is the eldest of John's kids, born on April 14, 2016. She is now 7 and appears to be quite the daddy's girl

Luna is followed in birth order by little brother Miles Theodore Stephens, who was born on May 17, 2018. Fans never fail to notice just how similar he looks to his dad, while Luna takes after her mom.
 
Teigen and Legend lost a son named Jack 20 weeks into the pregnancy back in 2020.     

They later went through IVF and conceived their daughter Esti, who was born in January 2023.  

And in a surprise June 2023 announcement, Chrissy shared that she and John welcomed another baby via a surrogate on June 19, 2023. Chrissy introduced her social media followers to their son, revealing that he's named Wren Alexander Stephens, with his middle name paying homage to the the family's surrogate, Alexandra.

When did John and Chrissy start a family?

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend posing on the red carpet.

Two years into her marriage, the model opened up to Tyra Banks about the couple’s struggle to have children, adding they’d been seeing fertility doctors.

“John and I were having trouble,” she said, according to Entertainment Tonight. “We would have had kids five, six years ago if it happened. But my gosh, it’s been a process.”

On Oct. 12, 2015, Teigen posted on Instagram she and Legend were expecting their first child.

“As many of you know, we’ve been trying to have a baby for a while now,” she said in the post. “It hasn’t been easy, but we kept trying because we can’t wait to bring our first child into the world and grow our family. We’re so excited that it’s finally happening.”

Luna Simone Stephens was born on April 14, 2016.

When was Miles Theodore Stephens born?

On May 17, 2018, Miles Theodore Stephens was born — the couple’s second child conceived through IVF, according to E! Online.

Miles' arrival was long awaited by big sister, Luna, who was featured in the pregnancy announcement. Legend and Teigen announced they were expecting second child in an adorable Instagram post on Nov. 21, 2017. In the video, you can hear Teigen ask Luna what’s in her stomach, to which Luna replies, “Baby!” 

Miles is basically John's double, though he's obviously a few feet shorter than his dad.

John and Chrissy Share Heartbreaking Pregnancy Loss... and a Rainbow

John Legend Family Vacation

The couple chose an unorthodox way to announce Teigen’s third pregnancy, showing off the model’s baby bump in Legend’s “Wild” music video in August 2020.  Teigen said it was her first natural pregnancy without IVF. But just a month after the announcement, Teigen was put on bed rest and hospitalized while in her second trimester, and the couple lost the baby, whom they’d named Jack.

“We are shocked and in the kind of deep pain you only hear about, the kind of pain we’ve never felt before,” Teigen posted on Instagram. “On this darkest of days, we will grieve, we will cry our eyes out. But we will hug and love each other harder and get through it.”

John Legend's Daughter Esti

Chrissy Teigen, Luna Stephens, Miles Stephens, and John Legend posing at the Grammy Awards.

Despite the loss, the family was determined to have another child, and Teigen revealed on social media she went through IVF again. In August 2022, she shared she and John were expecting a rainbow baby.

"The last few years have been a blur of emotions to say the least," she wrote in an Aug. 3 post, "but joy has filled our home and hearts again. 1 billion shots later (in the leg lately, as u can see!) we have another on the way."

On Jan. 13, 2023, Esti Maxine Stephens was born.

“The house is bustling and our family could not be happier,” Teigen wrote on Instagram. “Daddy sheds nightly tears of joy seeing Luna and Miles so full of love…we are in bliss.”

Little Esti has since been nicknamed "ladybug" and has already traveled the world with her family, including on their recent trip to Italy

John and Chrissy's son Wren Alexander

Six months after welcoming Esti to the family, Legend and Teigen once again expanded their family when their surrogate, Alexandra, gave birth to a baby boy named Wren Alexander Stephens on June 19. Photos of Alexandra and Chrissy accompanied the post, as well a close-up shot of baby Wren and his spiky black hair.

Teigen shared that, while she was heartbroken after the loss of Jack, she knew that she wanted to give Luna and Miles another sibling, so she and Legend decided to begin the surrogacy process. But after a particularly emotional therapy session, she realized she wanted to try to conceive again and began the IVF process anew. 

"Around this same time we met the most incredible, loving, compassionate surrogate we could ever imagine, Alexandra," Teigen continued. "I knew she was a perfect match for us the moment we spoke to her."

And so, Wren was born on June 19. 

 "Our hearts, and our home, are officially full," Teigen shared. "And to our Jack, we know both their angel kisses are from you."

John's Return to Coaching On The Voice

The Voice Coaches John Legend

In June, Legend was confirmed as one of the Coaches for the 24th season of The Voice, alongside first-time Coach Reba McEntire, as well as Niall Horan and Gwen Stefani.

In the months before Esti was born, Legend told E! Online he was taking a step back from The Voice to focus on family and his new album. He first appeared on The Voice in Season 12 as a mentor, then joined the show as a coach from seasons 16 through 22.

“It’s amazing that any show lasts as long as The Voice has lasted, and I’m proud to be part of the legacy of the show,” he told E! Online.

Season 23 marked Blake Shelton’s last season as a coach, and Legend said to E! News, “hopefully we can carry on the tradition after he leaves.”

Catch up on past seasons of The Voice now on Peacock.

(This article was originally published on June 22, 2023. It was updated on June 28, 2023 with the news of Wren's birth.)

Originally published Jun 22, 2023.

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