Years after their high-profile split, La La Anthony admits that co-parenting along with her ex-husband, former NBA player Carmelo Anthony, still has some “everyday” challenges.

The actress and tv personality make clear the complexities of raising her 17-year-old son Kiyan in light of their divorce and the invention of his secret child.

Anthony was recently a guest on Keke Palmer’s “Baby, This is Keke Palmer” podcastwhere she discussed her growth as a girl, mother and entrepreneur.

During the interview, Palmer asked Anthony in regards to the inspiration behind her 2015 book“The Love Guide: Rules for Love, Sex and Happiness.”

“Well, now I have to rewrite it,” Anthony said jokingly. She married the previous New York Knicks player in 2010. They split in April 2017 following messy rumors about him cheating, and finalized their divorce in June 2021.

The former “Power” star added that she wrote the book when “I thought she loved understanding it,” but realized that wasn’t the case when a “curveball” was thrown her way.

“Then I believed, oh, I’m married, I actually have a child. I’m on a journey and I’ve figured this thing out and this whole twist has come my way and now I’m not married and now I’m co-parenting and I’m living on this space and I’m figuring it out and that is the day that – the day by day challenge that is expounded to this.

The “curveball” La La is probably going referring to is learning in regards to the mysterious child her ex-husband fathered during their marriage.

The reason for the five-year break between their separation and divorce became clear last 12 months, when photos of then-five-year-old Genesis Harlo were posted on Instagram by her mother, Mia Angel Burks.

Fans immediately noticed the resemblance between the young girl and Carmelo and commenced commenting on it on social media, asking: “The child he had while he was still married?”

Carmelo silently confirmed that Genesis was his daughter by “soft-booting” her using a function in his retirement video to rejoice his nineteenth anniversary within the league.

Carmelo Anthony has no money😭 He’s not the one who has an image of his daughter on the video, but he cannot say “my daughter” like he said “my son”.💀

— ari d. (@aridbby) May 22, 2023

Advertisement

Carmelo became more outstanding within the young girl’s life. Back in August 2024, he was seen at her seventh birthday celebration. At the basketball party, Genesis paid tribute to her father by wearing a top and skirt resembling his old No. 7 Knicks jersey.

Photos from the birthday celebration caused a stir on social media when fans noticed that Carmelo’s son, Kiyan, was not there to rejoice together with his sister.

Although fans poked fun at her by commenting, “Lala said she doesn’t play stepmom to ANYONE. Let someone else do it” – regarding his son’s absence.

But he’s serious about protecting Kiyan from the trauma that will come from having to deal together with his father’s infidelity.

“We are so close. He is my only child. There is a different bond,” she said of Kiyan, whom she also called her “best friend.” She continued, “It’s been him and me on this journey, and he’s been with me through the ups and downs, regardless of what happened between me and his dad, and what my life is like now. He was there through it all.”

Anthony went on to speak about her experiences as a “boy mom,” especially as her son transitioned into maturity and navigating life through school, sports, and dating.

After a protracted (and unjustified) break, Carmelo Anthony received a call from his proud son, Kiyan, after scoring 25 points on the Blazers Last Night. LaLa holds up her phone so Melo can see a FaceTime call from his son cheering him onpic.twitter.com/iQFIICTbap

— Black NoChaser (@BlackNoChaser) November 26, 2019

Finally, Palmer asked Anthony for his perspective and advice on co-parenting, especially regarding the importance of maintaining a friendship together with your ex.

“It’s not always the easiest thing and not every day will be full of peaches and roses. It’s just unrealistic. But at the end of the day, you have to remember that your child sees everything,” she told Palmer.

Anthony added that folks need to keep in mind that they’re an example to their child of “what love looks like.”

She emphasized the importance of communication and bounds to ensure there aren’t any “blurred” lines and to keep the deal with the kid in any respect times. She concluded by saying, “It takes time. You need to find out what works. There is a lot of trial and error, a lot of bumps in the road, and a lot of arguments. Lots of things happen until things calm down, but eventually they always smooth out. Everything is trial and error and happens over time. The most important thing is that the child is always at the center of everything.”