Rapper Clifford “T.I.” Harris is getting slammed on social media all over again after his daughter Deyjah Harris, 18, shared how she felt about the whole “hymen-gate” controversy.
Last November, T.I. stated that he accompanies Deyjah to her yearly gynecologist appointments to make sure her “hymen” is still intact. His comments were widely condemned and the online backlash was immediate.
On the June 15 episode of “T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle,” Deyjah admitted her relationship with her father had changed since the hymen controversy, adding that she was “shocked, hurt, angry, and embarrassed” by the entire ordeal.
Deyjah said she learned of the rapper’s comments while on a family vacation in Mexico. “I’m scrolling on Twitter and I see I’m tagged in a post and all I see is ‘gynecologist,’ and I didn’t even need to read the whole title. I just knew,” she revealed. “My heart sank.”
The situation definitely put a strain on her and T.I.’s relationship. She said she was “uncomfortable” being in the same house as her father while everything was going on, and had a difficult time confronting him about his remarks. Deyjah did admit that the “Whatever You Like” artist had been going with her to her gynecologist appointments since she was “14 or 15.”
She further explained that T.I. treats her brothers differently, especially her little brother King Harris, 14, who T.I. joked about becoming a “baby daddy.” Deyjah was tearful after suggesting that she felt disconnected from her father “mentally and emotionally.” She described the entire controversy as “traumatizing,” calling her and her dad’s relationship “awkward.”
T.I.’s mother, Violetta, scolded him for his remarks and urged him to talk to Deyjah, but the rapper refused to do so. He claimed the “hymen” remarks were a joke “that was laced in truth” and believed it was “blown out of proportion and taken out of context. I have no reason to be concerned about any of this unless Deyjah’s upset,” T.I. said on the show. “If Deyjah hasn’t come to me, why would I disrupt my energy with that.”
T.I.’s nonchalant demeanor and seemingly dismissive attitude toward his daughter’s feelings sparked mixed reactions from social media users.
“In this one episode, we see the difference in raising boys and raising girls… ”King gone be a Baby Daddy” but let’s make sure baby girl is still a virgin??? We have to be the men we want our daughters to be with!!! #FamilyHustle,” one Twitter user wrote.
“The only woman that stood up for Deyjah was TIP’s mother. I’m glad they showed her at least telling him he was wrong. Sheesh. All those women at the table and NO ONE SAID ANYTHING! No wonder the poor girl feels like she don’t belong. Ugh my heart breaks for her. #FamilyHustle,” said another user.
