T.I. and Tameka “Tiny” Harris recently stopped by Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk podcast to discuss the controversial comments Tip made about his 18-year-old daughter Deyjah Harris.
Earlier this month, he revealed he accompanies Deyjah to the gynecologist to “check her hymen,” causing an immediate firestorm of criticism. During the episode, Pinkett Smith got straight to business and confronted Tip about the admission.
“I came to clear up any misconceptions that have been surrounding how we interact and parent and what is appropriate and inappropriate,” he says. “I think all this surrounds a conversation that I was having in a very joking manner when asked how do I deal with parenting in this day-in-age.
“And so I just began, from a place of truth, I began to embellish and exaggerate. I think that a lot of people kind of like took it extremely literal. If you put any of my reputation, who I am as a father, who I’ve been, I honestly thought people knew me better than that.”
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Tip confessed, at the time, he didn’t understand the “sensitivity” surrounding the issue but does now. However, he still believes people jumped to their own conclusions.
“My intentions have been terribly misconstrued and misconceived,” he continued. “Never said I was in any exam room, that is an assumption. That is a falsity. Never said it was being done present day as an 18-year-old. I never said her mother wasn’t present. Her mom was present every time.
Tiny weighed in, “She was 15, 16 years old at the time. Most fathers don’t go, but he was just present. And he didn’t make the doctor’s appointment.”
The Hustle Gang boss added this “false narrative has been sensationalized” but was incredible remorseful when it came to how the backlash affected his daughter.
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“She did have problem with me talking about it, however, and I understand that,” he said. “I am incredibly apologetic to her for that. [Looks at the camera] To you, sweet Baby Dayja. Not to these other strangers, any of these weirdos who toss lies around for fun. She understands my intentions and she knows who I am and she knows who I’ve always been. That allows a certain level of understanding.”
T.I. made his original comments during a conversation with the “Ladies Like Us” podcast, which is co-hosted by Miguel’s wife Nazanin Mandi. In the wake of the public outcry, that particular episode has been deleted.
